The Christmas Movie
by Kristi-Hayes
Summary: For the semester final, the class is to create a Christmas movie. Adrien and Marinette are chosen as the stars of this romance film. Alya, the scriptwriter of this movie, sees it as perfect opportunity to get Adrien to see that Marinette is more than just a friend. -The Christmas Movie used was Hallmark's "The Nine Lives of Christmas". -I don't own the movie script or characters.
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm also going to mention that there are NO MIRACULOUSES in this fanfiction. No Ladybug, no Chat Noir, no Hawkmoth. Just Adrien and Marinette.**

* * *

**Prologue**

**_~Nino's POV~_**

"For this year's semester final, a video will be produced." Ms. Bustier informed the class. "The whole class is expected to play some part in the making of this video."

My hand shot up in the air. "Does that mean everyone has to make an appearance?"

"Not visually, no." Ms. Bustier smiled. "Though, everyone's name must make an appearance in the credits."

"So are we making more of a movie?" Alya asked.

Ms. Bustier nodded. "This movie will be Christmas themed." She continued. "You may choose any genre of movie as long as everyone agrees. Your film must tell some sort of story."

"When is this project due?" I asked. Already, I felt excitement at the chance of filming another film with my classmates.

"You have until Friday, December twenty-second." Ms. Bustier said. "That gives you all twenty-six days, just under a full month. I don't expect perfect quality, but I expect effort."

The whole class began whispering to one another. I could tell I wasn't the only one excited with this project.

"You may spend the rest of class discussing your film." Ms. Bustier said.

At once, everyone raised their voices to be heard.

"Action!"

"Adventure!"

"Comedy!"

"Romance!"

Everyone turned to look at Rose. She blushed a little in embarrassment. "I think a romance film could be fun."

"What does our student body president say?" Alya asked, nudging Marinette with her elbow.

"Well..." Marinette said confidently. She was clearly trying to take all the ideas into account. "A Christmas romance would be fun to film. We could include drama for the action and adventure, and of course we'll add comedy."

A few guys rolled their eyes. "Romance?" Asked Kim. "Borrring."

"Kim!" Chloe exclaimed. "Romances are my favorite!"

"Romance sounds good." Kim said quickly. "Let's make a Christmas romance film!"

"Great." Marinette smiled. "We've got a genre. Now who will direct, film, and write our script?"

"Girl," Alya said placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I got the script covered. I'm sure Nino will film."

Marinette glanced at me then back at the rest of the class. "I'll be the director. Just like with our last film."

"That sounds like a great-" I was interrupted by Alya.

"Nino!" She said loudly. "Can I just... Talk with you for a moment? Alone?"

"Sure?" I said. Alya had a plan, and I was about to get in on it.

Once we were standing outside the classroom, Alya shut the door. "Who do you expect will have the leading male role?" She asked.

"Adrien." I answered instantly.

"And who do we want to be the leading female role with Adrien?" She pressed.

"Marinette." I replied. Suddenly, it all clicked. A romance movie... Adrien and Marinette...

"My Adrienette ship must sail!" Alya whisper-shouted so she couldn't be heard through the door.

"Ship?" I let out a small chuckle. "You gave them a ship name?"

"Of course." She snapped. "And we can't let anyone sink it!"

"So..." I asked. "Who would be directing if Marinette has a leading role?"

"What do you mean if?" Alya said. "There's no ifs about it. We'll both direct together. I'm sure Marinette would be fine with that."

I nodded slowly. "This might just work..."

"Why wouldn't it?" Alya asked. "This is my plan we're talking about!"

I held my tongue when a contradicting comment came into mind. This plan could work... No. It would work.

"Anyways..." Alya said, grabbing my arm. "Let's get to work. We only have a month!"

After being pulled back into the classroom, Alya explained that she and I would be the directors. No one opposed.

"I can write out the overview and first scene easy." Alya continued. "I just need tonight. Tomorrow we will discuss who will play who. Is that alright with everyone?" Again, no objection.

"Great." Alya smiled. She winked at me, and I gave her a thumbs up back.

I didn't see how our plan could go wrong.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"Me?" I asked. I knew Alya would recommend me as the female leading role, but I wouldn't have guessed so many would support me.

My cheeks burned as I looked at Adrien. He gave me an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll do great, Marinette."

Naturally, everyone elected him for the leading male role. If he and I were both the leads, that meant the romance of this film would be happening between us.

At the thought I let out a small squeal of excitement. Looking around, all the girls in the class, except for Chloe and Sabrina of course, were grinning at me. Each of them supported me for the role, knowing I was crazy for Adrien.

"So that's settled." Alya said, nudging me slightly. She pulled out a bit of paper, most likely the one she was planning the script on. "For a brief overview of the film, I came up with a firefighter befriending a cat. His girlfriend-"

"Is Adrien the firefighter?" Chloe blurted out. She still didn't seem thrilled with the fact the film would feature Adrien and I as a couple.

"Er..." Alya said, not expecting the sudden outburst. "Yes... Yes, he is."

"I'm going to be his girlfriend." Chloe said, sending me a gloating look.

"So, I should put you in as 'Firefighter's girlfriend'?" Alya asked with a small, barely noticeable smirk.

"As long as that firefighter is Adrien." Chloe flashed a big smile to Adrien. I held back a laugh at seeing the annoyed look on his face.

"What are you planning?" I whispered to Alya as she scratched Chloe's name on the paper.

"Not planning," Alya whispered back. "I've already planned this. It's just falling into action."

"Now." Alya said, looking up to address everyone. "As I was saying, the firefighter's girlfriend doesn't approve of the cat and he later dumps her because-"

"WHAT?!" Chloe yelled. "Over a stupid cat?!"

"The role fits you well..." I muttered to myself. I heard a snicker and turned to see Adrien smiling. He heard me?

"Sorry Chloe." Alya said, eyes sparkling with amusement. I knew she had planned it out for a reaction like this from Chloe. "You already signed to be the girlfriend so that's who you'll be."

"Ridiculous." Chloe muttered angrily. "Utterly ridiculous."

"The firefighter dumps her because he met this girl," Alya winked at me making me blush slightly. "Who he had started developing feelings for. The girl works at a pet store, goes to veterinary school, loves cats, and had fallen in love with the firefighter without exactly realizing it at first. In the end, the two realize their feelings for each other and get together."

"Is that all?" Kim asked. "No more added drama?"

"This was just a brief overview, Kim." Nino said. "Knowing Alya, I'm sure there will be more drama than she let on."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Alya raised an eyebrow at Nino.

"Nothing." He replied quickly.

"Anyway..." Alya rolled her eyes and took out packets, the scripts, and handed a copy to everyone. "This is the first scene."

Everyone skimmed through the packet, and Adrien was the first to comment. "Seriously? I have to model in this movie?"

I was about to jump to his defense, when I noticed that amused sparkle in his eyes he displays when he's kidding.

"Yep." Alya grinned, then looked around at everyone. "So, we know that Adrien is playing Zachary Stone, the firefighter. We need three to play other firefighters."

Kim's hand shot up. "Sign me up!"

"Me too!" Said Ivan.

"And me!" Said Max.

"Great!" Alya exclaimed happily. "Kim, you'll be 'Ray', Ivan, 'Chief Sam', and Max, you take 'Mark'."

"It appears Adrien and I hold a conversation after the photoshoot." Max commented flipping a few more pages. "Woah, woah, woah... He says I'm married? To whom?"

"The characters of this film are in their late twenties, early thirties, and some even in their forties or fifties." Alya explained. Suddenly, she gasped. "I almost forgot! There's also a photographer!"

"I can manage that." Juleka muttered. We all turned to look at her in surprise. "What?" She added defensively. "I can manage taking a few photos."

"Great!" Alya said. "That has first scene covered! Any questions?"

"Yes!" Chloe blurted out. "Will there be a kissing seen between Adrien and... Marinette?" She said my name as if it internally pained her to say.

"Well..." Alya smirked, focusing her attention on me. "There is a kiss or two between Zachary and Marilee."

"Am I playing Marilee?" Chloe asked.

"No... You're playing Blair, Zachary's girlfriend/ex-girlfriend." Alya replied. "Marinette has the honor of playing Marilee White."

A deep blush covered my cheeks. "K-kiss?" I managed to squeak out.

Alya continued to smirk at me. "This is a romance, Marinette."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Adrien smiling at me. "It's just for the film. No big deal."

My heart dropped like a ton of rocks. "R-right..." I said, trying not to let my disappointment show. "Just... For the film."

The school bell rang, dismissing us. "Make sure to learn your lines!" Alya called out just before we all left. "We need to start filming tomorrow!"

"Won't we be set in a fire station?" Kim asked.

"Oh, right." Alya frowned. "Hadn't thought that far yet."

"I can talk to my dad about it!" Sabrina said excitedly. "He could talk to the chief fireman for us. I'll tell you what he says tomorrow."

Alya nodded happily. "Sounds great!" She said. "And I will continue to write more scenes. I hope to have the next few completed by tomorrow as well."

Everyone left the school, and I began to walk home. Being lost in thought of Adrien and I acting together in a romance film made me feel giddy inside.

The piercing sound of screeching brakes and tires made me snap out of my thoughts. I had walked onto the crosswalk without realizing. The car that had been coming towards me almost hit me.

"Are you okay?!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I looked out my window as I always did when riding home from school. I had nothing planned for the evening, so I hoped to read over my lines.

Alya seemed to have an amazing story set up for the class to film. The fact that I was leading male didn't surprise me, and I was ultimately grateful that Chloe was not leading female.

I was happy that Marinette would be take the female lead. Acting these scenes with a great friend would be amazing!

I don't mind the fact that's the film is a romance, or the fact that I'm to kiss-

My thoughts we're cut off by my chauffeur suddenly slamming on the brakes. I looked up to see Marinette directly in front of the car.

"Are you okay?!" I called out as I climbed out of the car and ran over to her. She seemed stiff, not surprising. She had almost been hit by a car! My car!

"Y-yeah I'm fine!" She said.

"I'm really sorry." I told her.

"It's... No big deal." She muttered, staring at her feet.

No big deal? How was this no big deal? She could've died!

"Of course, it's a big deal." I said. "I'm excited to film with you! I don't think we would've been able to though, if you had gotten hit."

She looked at me with wide eyes. "You want to film with me?" She asked. "A romance between our characters?"

I gave her a small nod, and earned a huge grin from her in return. "I already know I enjoy spending time with you." I continued. "Filming a Christmas movie with you will be fun."

"Y-yeah!" She said. "I love filming you. I mean... I'd love filming with you."

I let out a slight chuckle. "Would you like a ride home?" I asked. "It's the least I can do for about running you over."

"Actually..." Marinette looked over her shoulder. "That's my house right there."

I looked behind her to see the bakery. How did I not notice it before?

"Right." I said. "Well, I guess I'll see you later?"

"Definitely." She nodded.

I watched her finish crossing the street, turn, and gave me a small wave before going into the bakery. I smiled as I climbed back into my ride.

As soon as I walked into the house, I headed straight to my room. Again, I rolled my eyes as I remembered I was to model. At least my character, Zachary Stone, didn't seem too thrilled about it either.

"Alya seemed to base Zachary off of me." I muttered to myself. He didn't want to model, he was annoyed with the fact he had to, and didn't seem thrilled with getting the number of a girl because he modeled.

I looked at my phone when I noticed it vibrate. A text from Alya.

"Do you have a red muscle shirt you could wear for the scene?"

"I'm sure I have one, my dad being a designer and all."

"Exactly why I asked. You need to model in a red muscle shirt. Thanks!"

"Yeah. No problem."

I sighed and put my phone down. I knelt down and rummaged through my closet. Sure enough I found a red muscle shirt.

I packed it in my school bag and sent another text to Alya. "Got one packed."

A few minutes later I got a reply. "Thanks Adrien! You're the best."

I looked over the script a few more times to know exactly what to say, and when to say it.

As I was reading it through for the fourth time, I heard my phone ringing. Better not be some crazed fangirl.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Adrien Agreste how dare you almost run Marinette over with your car! I don't care that she forgives easily, or that you're the 'perfect' model boy! You got some nerve, Agreste! How do you explain yourself?"

Silence. Alya finally stopped yelling at me so I could respond.

"Alya, I wasn't the one driving." I said.

"So?" She shot back. "She was still almost hit!"

"So... It wouldn't have been me who almost hit her." I replied. "The important thing is the fact that she wasn't hit."

A small squeal came from her side of the call. "Do you care about her?"

"Of course, I do!" I said quickly, thinking she was still mad. "We're great friends!"

"Friends, huh?" Alya asked. "Well, try to open your eyes to her a little bit. For Zachary's sake. She is playing his love interest."

"Hey, being a model has its benefits." I said. "I can fake a smile and make it look real."

"Not what I meant, Adrien." She said. "I told you to open your eyes for a reason. There's this sort of sparkle people get in their eyes when they're in love. You can't always fake it."

"Are you saying I should fall in love with Marinette for the sake of the film?" I asked.

"No!" Alya said quickly. "Er... Not necessarily you, but you need to make sure you're in character. Zachary must have a thing for Marilee."

"Alright." I sighed. "I'll open my eyes as you said."

"Great!" Alya exclaimed. "Oh, and Sabrina called. She said we're good to film at the fire station!"

"That's great!" I couldn't help but smile. I know how much this film would mean to her, and Nino for that matter. I truly hope it goes as planned.

"Listen, Adrien," Alya said. "I have to go. Babysitting."

"No problem." I said. "Have fun. Talk to you later."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"Cut!" Nino called out.

Kim lowered his arms from flexing and looked at the directors in confusion.

"Kim, that's not how your pose is written in the script!" Alya exclaimed.

"Come on!" Ivan punched Kim's arm. "We were so close!"

We were still filming the first scene. It took me all my will power to not burst out laughing at the actions.

I knew it wasn't ideal to redo this scene over and over, but I got to see Adrien acting, and oh boy did he do a good job. He was playing Zachary so well!

"From the top!" Nino called out. Everyone but Adrien, Kim, Ivan, and Juleka followed Nino into the fire station hallway where the film started. Alix came forward once again. "Scene one, take seventeen." She said using the clapper board.

Nino followed Max walking down the Hall and into the garage where the fire engine, and the other boys were.

Kim and Ivan were playing their part by laughing and mocking Adrien who didn't look happy about modeling. Max joined them as Kim said the word, "action" to Ivan.

Juleka was behind a camera taking the photos of Adrien. For her character, she had pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

It was all a huge shock to see her hair up and out of her eyes, but it suited her. She even said that she may wear it like that more often.

Not only was her new hairstyle shocking, but her attitude as well. She seemed more... Is outgoing the word? In short, she just wasn't as shy anymore. I don't know if it was her acting or not, but it's great.

"Okay... Great now maybe above your head... Yep." Juleka stepped out from behind the camera to signal Adrien to hold his prop, an axe, over his shoulder. When he did so, Juleka flashed him a smile and moved back behind the camera. "Perfect. Great..." She snapped another photo.

Adrien held out an arm, exasperated, followed by another pose.

He glanced over at the guys laughing at him and rolled his eyes and took the axe in both hands, lowering it from his shoulders. "Okay, alright." He said looking back at Juleka. "Are we done yet? Can I- can I get back to work now?"

"Just a couple more." Juleka told him. "Maybe one where you don't look so..."

"Constipated?" Ivan suggested.

"Nauseated." Kim said, resulting in laughter from himself, Ivan, and Max.

"Try... Smiling with your eyes." Juleka suggested.

"Yes, Zach..." Max chuckled. "Smile with your eyes..."

"Make them twinkle." Kim added. Max and Ivan burst out laughing. At the smirk on Kim's face, Adrien looked back at Juleka.

"Okay, that's enough." Adrien said putting down the axe. "I think I'm done."

"Oh, come on, Zach," Ivan said, beginning to contain his laughter. "It's Christmas. It's for charity. You love helping kids. All the other guys did it."

"Mhmm." Max agreed.

"You're going to be on the cover." Juleka pointed out.

"Huh?" Adrien asked, eyes widening in surprise. "I don't want to be on the cover. Let Ray be on the cover." He gestured to Kim.

"Really?" Max raised an eyebrow at Kim. "How many calendars do you think Ray's gonna sell?"

As he asked the last question, Kim raised an arm, hand behind his head, and his other hand on his hip. His lifted a leg up slightly with a bent knee, making all but Adrien laugh.

"Heh..." Adrien let out a small fake laugh. "That's a good point."

Suddenly the alarm went off, making Ivan wear a serious face. "Let's go!" He called out, clapping his hands together. "Let's go!"

The men ran to change while Juleka began to put away the camera. Nino followed Adrien and filmed him putting on a fireman suit.

Juleka walked up to him holding a slip of paper. "If you want to go over the pictures, or go to coffee sometime, or anything," She said. "Call me."

"Great." Adrien gave her a small nod and took the paper. "Thanks."

Juleka smiled then turned and walked away.

"Seriously?" Max walked up to Adrien from behind, chuckling. The two turned and walked back towards the garage, Nino following.

"Hey." Max continued. "What's with you and the women?"

"It's the uniform." Adrien replied.

"I'm wearing the same one." Max pointed out.

"Yeah," Adrien said. "But you're married." The two guys reached a fire engine.

Max scoffed as he approached the side of the fire engine to climb up. "Come on, man." He smiled as he climbed in, then turned to face Adrien. "They don't know that."

"That's true." Adrien chuckled, looking down. He kept walking as Max sat down and closed the door.

"Cut!" Nino called out grinning. "We got through it!"

"But there's still the part with the fire truck pulling out of the station." Adrien said, walking back over, already taking off the suit.

"All we have to do for that is record the firemen driving out of the station." Nino smiled. "Easy peasy."

"Then let's go!" Alya said excitedly. "Sabrina, are they good to go?"

Sabrina nodded. "Waiting for the cue."

"I'll text you when, okay?" Alya said. Sabrina nodded again and stayed behind as everyone headed outside.

Once they were a good distance away, Alya stopped. "Right here."

Nino set up the camera and when he was ready to film, Alya sent the text.

The engine honked a few times, signaling Nino to start recording. The truck appeared and turned onto the main road, siren blaring, and Nino followed it with his camera. It disappeared down the road, and Nino ended the scene with the sirens still able to be heard in the distance.

"Scene one, complete!" Alya squealed excitedly.

"Actually..." Nino said, seeming to be embarrassed. "I forgot to hit record..."

"Nino!" Alya yelled. "Are you serious?!"

"Nope." Nino chuckled. "I'm totally kidding. We got everything."

Alya punched his shoulder. "Don't say things like that!"

I giggled a little and for the first time realized that Adrien was right next to me. He was wearing that red muscle shirt from earlier.

"You were amazing." I said. I blushed a little when he faced me.

"You think so?" He asked with a smile.

"I know so." I responded.

"I'm sure you'll be amazing too." He said, making me blush a little more.

"I don't know..." I said looking down.

Before he could respond, we were given the next two scenes by Alya

I flipped through the pages. "Hey!" I exclaimed. "I'm in both!"

"You sure are." Alya smiled, walking away to continue handing out the script.

"So am I." Adrien said, eyes widening in surprise. He looked at me with a smile. "Well, the third scene that is. I only make an appearance."

"Really?" I asked, looking over the page he was on. "Because you're on the fire truck and I... Almost get hit by it."

Adrien looked at me with concern. "Like yesterday?"

"No, no." I said quickly. "I'm in a car. I almost drive in front of the truck."

"Do you think she wrote this part in because of yesterday?" He asked me, looking at Alya.

"She may have." I said, following his gaze, then looking at him. "Are you still worried about what happened?"

"Of course I am!" He looked at me. "I almost hit you!"

"First of all, you weren't driving." I said, blushing at his concern. "Second, I wasn't hit."

"That's exactly what I said to Alya." He muttered.

I was about to question him further, but shook my head instead. "I should probably go." I said, looking down to hide my red face. I couldn't believe I held a conversation with him without stuttering! "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you." I heard him say as I walked away with my head down. My heart skipped a beat, and my face burned. I had the feeling that his eyes were still on me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"But I'm not allowed to drive yet!" Marinette said staring at the car we decided to use as Marilee's car.

"Cut!" Nino called out. "Marinette! We know you can't drive yet."

"That's why all you have to do is start the car, and put on the brakes." Alya explained. "The car will drift forward on its own."

Marinette nodded slowly. "Alright. I'm sorry for messing up that take."

"Hey, don't worry about it." Alya smiled. "That was only the third take. You're doing great."

"Let's try this again." Nino said. Everyone followed him back into the school and took a seat, except for Nino, who was filming, and me.

I couldn't play an extra because I was a main character. I would most likely be noticed. I told Nino and Alma I could sit in the back, but they told me we couldn't risk me being noticed. Something about this being a professional film.

I stood behind Nino as he got the camera ready.

"Again?" Mr. Damocles asked. Our principal was playing Marilee's college professor.

"Yeah." Nino said. "We should get it this time."

"If you say so." He replied.

Right before Nino called, "Action." Alix walked in front of the camera. She clapped the clapper board. "Scene two, take four." Afterwards, she sat back down in the front row.

Mr. Damocles turned to face the class from the chalkboard. Facts about domestic animals were written on the board. Marinette's character, Marilee, went to veterinary school.

To play her character, Marinette let her hair down. I couldn't help but think that it looked great. I hope she'll wear it down more, not that those pigtails we're bad, but it made Marinette seem more... Marilee-like. I guess I was taking Alya's advice on opening up to Marinette's character pretty well for me to say that about her new hairstyle.

"Feline dilated cardiomyopathy," Mr. Damocles said, walking around the teacher's desk. "And hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are both common in many species."

Nino walked around the room to film the students. I followed him.

"Your pussycat patient may present with..." Mr. Damocles cut himself off when he looked at Marinette. She had her head propped up with an arm, hand under chin, appearing to be asleep. "Miss White."

He approached her desk as he continued with, "Can you tell us some of the symptoms a cat with cardiomyopathy might present with?"

"Marilee." Rose whispered while the question was being asked. "Psst, Marilee." She was sitting next to Marinette.

Seeing that she was still 'sleeping', Rose nudged her 'awake'. "Wake up." She whispered.

Marinette leaned over then sat bolt upright looking at Mr. Damocles with wide eyes.

"Miss White..." He repeated. "Feline heart disease. Can you tell us some of the symptoms-"

"A low-pitched cough, breathing difficulties, noticeable weight loss or gain, reduced mobility, swelling in the abdomen."

"Thank you, I-" Mr. Damocles tried to say.

"Heart disease typically causes the heart to enlarge, and this enlargement causes the loss of efficiency-" Marinette fidgeted nervously as she rambled off and gladly shut her mouth when Mr. Damocles cut her off.

"Very. Good. Miss. White." He said, obviously a little irritated. "Now. You may go back to sleep."

Marinette awkwardly ran her fingers down her cheek as the classroom was filled with laughter. She looked down, embarrassed.

"Cut!" Nino called out. "Very good, Marinette. You remembered all your lines, so I don't have to edit."

Last take she skipped a symptom. Nino said it was alright for the sake of filming, but since we had to retake the next scene, we decided to try this one again.

"Let's go outside." Alya said.

* * *

I sat with the rest of my classmates in our classroom watching the three scenes we filmed. Nino had already edited them, and they looked great so far. We had just gotten to the third scene.

I hadn't gotten to see Marinette recording that one with Rose because I had to go to the fire engine that we had a little ways away.

Both the girls we're dressed in warm winter jackets. Rose wore more of a fancy-like designer winter jacket, and Marinette wore a big, puffy winter coat. My father was surprisingly kind enough to allow us to use them.

"You need some balance in your life." Rose told her as they walked through a parking lot. "I mean, you're clearly exhausted. All you do is work and study. You need to relax, have some fun. It's Christmas! Go get a mani-pedi. Watch television. Go to a movie."

Marinette gave a small scoff. "I haven't been to a movie in years."

"Exactly my point." Rose continued with a sigh. "I just joined this dating site called Just Dessert. You should sign up."

"I don't have time to date." Marinette replied, shaking her head. "After I graduate, I'll figure it out-"

"You fill in the questionnaire," Rose interrupted. "They put a group of potential soulmates together, and you meet at a catered party for dessert."

Marinette tilted her head slightly at Rose, amused by her concern.

"I mean," Rose continued. "Even if you don't make a love connection at least you get cake."

"Have you met anyone yet?" Marinette asked.

"No." Rose said sadly. "And I've gained like six pounds! I'm seventy-nine years old, and I'm fat, old, and alone."

"Please, you are not fat." Marinette reassured her. "And you need to stop counting your age in dog years."

Rose let out a small whine of protest. "See you Monday?"

"Yeah." Marinette chuckled. "Bye."

Marinette climbed into her car and muttered, "Okay." While starting it. She buckled herself in and drove forward a bit before gasping and quickly stopping her car just as a fire engine honked a few times, driving in front of her.

As it drove by, I had given her a small smile and wave.

Marinette awkwardly smiled, more out of embarrassment and shock from almost getting hit, and returned my wave though I hadn't seen it.

"Good work everyone!" Nino said happily. "This is going great."

"When do I have scene?" Chloe asked rudely.

Everyone looked at Alya. "I'm not sure yet. I've only written the next two scripts. I'll write more tonight."

Alya handed out the papers and turned to Chloe once more. "By the way, the owner of the pet store Marilee works at is Blair's dad. Could you-"

"Um..." Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Why does this 'Blair' concern me?"

"Chloe, you are Blair." Adrien said. "My ex."

"Right." Chloe said, then frowned. "What do you mean ex? Adrikins! We haven't even started dating!"

"For the sake of the film, Chloe." Alya interrupted. "Will you ask your dad to be in our film?"

"Will I be able to get Marinette in trouble if my dad's her boss?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, sure, whatever." Alya agreed, earning a complaint from Marinette.

"Alya, seriously?"

"I'll get my dad to be Marinette's boss." Chloe smirked. "Don't worry."

I sent a concerned look at Marinette, then walked over to her. "Hey, don't take what she says to heart."

"She wants to make my life miserable." She frowned, looking down. "I don't even know what I did to her."

"I don't have any idea." I smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't see what she could possibly have against you. You're probably the most amazing and caring person I know."

She stared up at me with wide eyes. "R-Really?"

I nodded, resulting in a huge grin from her. "Thanks, Adrien." She said. "That means a lot."

"Well, we'd better study our lines." I said, looking at the scripts. "We each have roles."

"Yeah..." She said, looking at her own.

"You know, based on how this story line is progressing in the fifth scene, I bet we'll have to meet soon." I told her.

"Right." She said, looking away from me. "When the... Romance... Begins."

"Yeah..." I said awkwardly. To me, it almost sounded like she was uncomfortable with our upcoming scenes.

"You know..." I said slowly, rubbing the back of my neck. "Don't tell Chloe, but I'm glad you're playing Marilee."

"What?" She asked, eyes wide and face red. Oh no... Did I get her mad?

"Well, yeah." I said. "I'd prefer you over Chloe any day."

I widened my eyes from how that sounded. "Wait, I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to say was-"

"No, I get it." Marinette looked down with a small smile, her face not as red. "I understand."

"We'd better go..." I said trying to get out of the awkward conversation. "Tomorrow..."

"Yeah..." She said. "See you..."

"Bye." I walked to my chauffeur who had been waiting for a little while already. After apologizing, I climbed in and saw Marinette walking home with quick steps.

I sighed a little, annoyed with myself for saying things like what I had to her. I could already tell that this film would change our relationship as we knew it. For better or worse.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"I have the next few scenes written out." Alya told all of us. That made five total ready to shoot.

After everyone got the copies, she continued. "I think we should use this day to read over and memorize lines. Tomorrow is the start of the weekend. I think we'll be able to film all five before Monday. Maybe even the scene I'm currently working on."

Everyone read over their scripts. I walked up to Alya. "So..." I started. "Who is Lucy? The one I work with?"

"Oh, I'm Lucy." Alya smiled.

"Really?!" I asked her excitedly. "That's awesome!"

"Sure is." She said. "Anything else on your mind?"

"How'd you..." I started to ask, but trailed off. It's like she can read my mind sometimes. "Yeah. I was wondering what scene Adrien and I start filming together."

"Excited?" Alya grinned.

"Nervous." I responded. "I don't think I can do it without being a total dorkasaurus."

Alya chuckled and put her hands on my shoulders. "Why else would I have made Marilee White a total dorkasaurus?"

"Seriously?" I asked. "Does Marilee represent me?"

"Girl," Alya smiled. "You are Marilee. Marilee is you."

"Did you do the same with Adrien and Zachary?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I don't know him as well as I know you." She said. "But... Based on our many, many, many, many-"

"Yes, I get it!" I giggled.

"... Many conversations about him," Alya continued. "I know that he's a nice guy who is not full of himself. He also doesn't seem crazy on the idea of a relationship."

"Wow." I said. "I never really thought of him not wanting any relationships with anyone. I guess I've been selfish in wanting him to notice me as more than a friend."

"Nonsense." Alya said. "He just hasn't fully opened his eyes to see that he is ready, and that he has met the right girl for him."

I smiled, and my cheeks grew hot. "Alya, stop it." I told her. "You're making me blush."

"Oh, hey." She said suddenly. "Would you like to meet Queenie?"

"My, well, Marilee's cat?" I asked.

Alya nodded. "You'll have a scene with her tomorrow so you two better get along."

"I'd love to meet her!" I said with a big smile. "Let me grab my things."

I hurried to my desk and put everything away, then slung my backpack over a shoulder. I was sliding my other arm through the second strap as I walked back to Alya. To my surprise, Adrien stood next to her, his own bag on.

"Let's go." Alya said, taking the lead out of the classroom. Adrien and I followed her to the animal shelter where we had been given permission to use their animals.

After a little while, I decided to break the awkward silence. "So... Ambrose?"

"Oh, my cat?" Adrien asked. "Yeah. And Queenie is yours?"

"Yep." I replied, looking at him while we walked. "You and Ambrose better get along. He has to rub against your legs, climb on your lap, and lay on your bed."

"You read that script?" He asked. "Even though you wouldn't even make an appearance?"

"Of course." I said. "I like knowing what's happening in our story." I blushed a little, not exactly meaning my last few words as they had sounded.

He let out a soft chuckle, not noticing my blush. "Our story is definitely unique." He said. "Never heard of one like it."

"Me neither." I said, forcing my blush away. "Alya's doing great, isn't she?"

"For sure." He responded. Another moment of awkward silence.

"Open my eyes." He said suddenly, smiling as he broke the silence.

I gave him a questioning look and he continued to smile at me. "That's what Alya told me to do. For the sake of Zachary."

"What do you mean?" I asked, realization slowly overcoming me. Alya told me that he had to open his eyes to me...

She wouldn't... She couldn't embarrass me like that! She couldn't have told him to open his eyes to me!

"You're playing Marilee, Zachary's love interest." He explained. "Alya told me to really be in character. Something about getting this sparkle in my eyes that people tend to get when they're in love."

I couldn't help but blush a bit as I mentally sighed in relief. "I know what you mean." I said.

It's the sparkle, Alya's told me, I get in my eyes when I think of or am around Adrien. I couldn't help but wonder if that sparkle was in my eyes right now.

"Welcome to the animal shelter!" Alya said, spinning around to face us. Adrien and I had fallen a little behind her while in our conversation.

"Wow." I heard him say. He smiled as he took in the building. "I can't believe they let us borrow their animals."

"They want us to credit them for the animal usage." Alya said. "Something about advertising for adoptions. I don't know if they realize that not everyone will see this movie."

I let out a sigh of relief. I don't know what I would've done if everyone saw me acting like a dork around Adrien, Marilee or not.

"Why not?" Adrien asked. "I mean, I know it's a school project, but don't you think we could let more than just our class see it? It could really help Nino out if the movie gets good reviews."

"You're absolutely right." Alya smiled. "I'll talk with Nino and Ms. Bustier about it."

I sent a slightly panicked look to Alya, then looked back at Adrien. I guess I was wearing the same expression because he frowned slightly.

"I mean..." He said, looking at me. "As long that's okay with you."

"It's fine..." I muttered, looking down. "Just not sure I'm ready for everyone to see what a dork I am."

"Hey," Adrien chuckled softly. "I have to act like a completely oblivious dork who can't even recognize his own feelings for the girl he falls in love with."

I heard Alya snort a little as she tried to hold back her laughter, and mutter, "Oblivious child."

I turned red with embarrassment, understanding what she had been referring to. "Let's go meet the cats, shall we?" I asked, hoping to get out of this situation.

Alya told the nice man at the front desk who we were, and he eagerly went to a room I could only guess was the cat area.

"He's happy to see us." She said. We took seats in the main lobby as we waited. Not too long after, the same man and a woman came back with two cats, one in each arm.

The woman handed me a fluffy mottled brown cat with white paws and white a chest. It had a collar, unseen in the fur, with a tag that read Queenie.

The man handed Adrien a ginger tabby cat with shorter fur. It had a red collar with a red heart shaped tag that read, Ambrose.

"I love them!" I said happily, scratching Queenie behind her ear.

"They're absolutely purrfect." Adrien said, giving everyone a grin. He was clearly proud of his pun.

Alya rolled her eyes as I giggled. "Don't encourage him, Girl!" She told me. "Don't you know puns are the worst form of comedy?"

"Is that so?" Adrien asked with a small smirk. "Sounds like you're growing claws."

I giggled a bit more, blushing as I did so. Alya threw up her arms in defeat. "Whatever, Model-boy." She said. "We'd better get going. It's getting late."

Adrien scratched a bit under Ambrose's chin before handing him back to the man. "Alright, alright." He said, chuckling.

When I did the same as him in handing Queenie over, I couldn't help but become lost in his eyes. The way they sparkled with amusement and happiness. I really enjoyed seeing him this happy because he hadn't had the best childhood, his parents divorcing and all only a year ago after years and years of fighting.

I couldn't help but admire the way Adrien was able to stay strong through it all. If it were me, I'd fall to pieces.

He turned his attention back to me after standing up. "I guess we'd better get ready for tomorrow?" He asked.

I nodded as I was about to stand up next to him when I saw his hand reach toward me. I blushed a bit and took it in mine, allowing him to help me to my feet.

He told me he had to go back to the school because his chauffeur would be waiting. We said our goodbyes when I said I had to get back to the bakery to help my parents.

I don't know if I'm nervous for tomorrow's filming, or excited.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"Increased thirst..." Marinette muttered out loud as she restocked shelves with pet supplies, a text book propped open near her. She was wearing a red apron with Bosley's written on the front, and Marilee written on a name tag, her hair up in a messy bun.

We had gotten permission from Mayor Bourgeois to use his hotel for the pet shop, seeing as he was playing the owner of the small store.

"Frequent urination, vomiting, poor coat appearance, depression, shock, trauma-" She continued until Alya cut her off.

"That's it."

Alya, also wearing a Bosley's red apron with Lucy on a name tag, looked at Marinette who looked up at her from the key supplies.

"That's exactly how I feel today." Alya continued. "You are going to be a very good doctor."

Marinette gave her a sympathetic look. "Lucy," She said. "I'm sorry, but you may have feline kidney failure."

"Or too many margaritas last night?" Alya suggested. "First holiday party of the year."

Marinette smiled a bit and continued to restock the shelf as Alya turned around at the sound of a yapping dog. Letting out a sigh, Alya frowned. "He's back."

I don't know exactly who he was, or where Alya found him. All I knew was that he was a short elderly man known as Fu.

Marinette followed her gaze with a sigh of her own to see Fu with Juleka, dressed as another employee of Bosley's, deep in conversation. Fu looked very upset.

The mayor walked and stood beside her wearing a long red Santa hat. He also looked at the man. "Marilee," He said with a sigh. "Could you please work some of your magic on Mr. Smith?"

"Sure," Marinette smiled reassuringly. "I'll take care of him."

She walked over to Fu who was holding a small dog, some kind of terrier. "Mr. Smith!" She called out with a smile.

"Oh, Marilee." Fu smiled with relief as he turned to face Marinette. Juleka smiled at Marinette then walked away.

"Well, hello, Bootsey." Marinette greeted the terrier with a scratch under the chin.

"Oh, Bootsey has been a little anxious lately." Fu said, petting the dog, sounding worried. "He wakes up in the night worried about our visit to my daughter's house."

Marinette looked at Fu with wonder, while Fu stroked his dog's fur a few times.

He looked around then back at her with a serious expression, as if afraid someone would overhear. "My daughter has a very judgmental Cocker Spaniel."

Marinette nodded slightly, noticeably pretending this was an extremely serious matter. Fu also nodded seriously.

"Well, the holidays can be hard on all of us." Marinette said, scratching a bit behind the dog's ear. "You've come to the right place, huh, Bootsey?"

Marinette smiled again at Fu. "Maybe," She said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "A new outfit would help Bootsey feel a bit more comfortable?"

Fu grinned and eagerly walked with Marinette towards an isle with pet clothing. "We are having a Christmas special on canine leisure wear."

As they walked away, Marinette casted a glance to Alya and Mayor Bourgeois. Both gave her thumbs up and huge grins.

"Cut!" Nino called out. "Wow, that one only took three takes! Great work!"

"Alright everyone." Alya announced. "We're now going to Adrien's house to film his scene."

"Actually..." I said. "I was thinking my place wouldn't be best. I mean, it's not like Zachary lives in a... House like mine..."

I wanted to avoid the fact that I lived in a mansion, and the fact my room was the size of an apartment.

"You're right." Alya said, becoming lost in thought. "Where should we film instead?"

"I would offer mine," Nino said. "Except I have family coming around for Christmas. They'd get in the way of later scenes."

"I have younger siblings." Alya said. "They wouldn't leave us alone."

"My..." Marinette started slowly. "My parents are usually working... And I'm an only child."

"But your room!" Alya said as if the idea surprised her. "It's so... Pink." The way she said pink made it obvious that it wasn't the word she was going to say.

"We have a guest room." Marinette said quietly. "It's has neutral colors, and we only use it when family visits, which is hardly ever."

"That settles it." Alya smiled. "Let's meet at Marinette's house in an hour to give her time to get everything ready."

As everyone began to leave the hotel, I couldn't help but feel worried. "Marinette, are you sure this is okay?"

She stopped and faced me with a confused look, her cheeks a slight pink shade. She took a few steps forward to face me.

"I mean," I continued. "I know you were the one to suggest we use your place as Zachary's home, but would it be alright with your parents?"

"Is that all you're worried about?" She asked with a small smile. "Adrien, my parents absolutely love you. They'd be happy to have you over."

"They... Love me?" I asked.

Marinette nodded. "They've said that you're welcome in our home anytime."

I smiled a bit. "Thanks, Marinette. I... Don't have anything else I have to do today, so would it be alright if I walked you home?"

I would've thought she was mad because her face became a light shade of red, but she gave me a huge grin. "Of course!"

After a little bit of walking, Marinette broke the silence. "So... Have you opened your eyes yet?"

For a moment I gave her a questioning look, then it clicked. "Ahh..." I said. "For Marilee. To be in character as Zachary."

Marinette looked at me expectantly. "Mhmm." She smiled.

"Well, from what I can tell already..." I said, previous scenes run in through my head. "She's smart... Stubborn... Kind..."

"Stubborn?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah." I chuckled softly. "She tries to avoid that dating site her friend recommends."

Marinette giggled a bit, her cheeks a rosy color. Perhaps it was because it was getting colder outside. If so, mine probably were too.

"Wow." Marinette smiled. "You really seem to know what kind of person Marilee is. What about Zachary?"

"I suppose we'll have to learn more about him later." I replied.

Now that I think about it, Marilee reminds me a bit of Marinette. Smart, stubborn at times, kind...

I looked at Marinette as we walked to her house. She was looking down slightly, smiling a bit to herself. I couldn't help but smile a little as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I avoided looking at Adrien for the next few steps we took, afraid I'd squeal of happiness.

My one true love, Adrien Agreste, was walking me home. He offered to walk me home. The guy I'm crazy about just listed a few qualities he noticed about Marilee. I am Marilee. Alya said it herself.

"You know..." I said with a small giggle as I looked up and noticed my house across the street. "My parents will try to make you stay. Once you drop me off. Won't let you leave easily."

"Challenge accepted." Adrien smiled. "I don't mind though, really."

"You're too nice sometimes." I blushed as I stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for traffic to clear. "You really don't have to stay. I can even walk the rest of the way myself, so you can be left in peace."

"Seems like you're trying to get rid of me." He said jokingly. "I'm serious, Marinette. I enjoy your parents."

"You do?" I asked.

He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's embarrassing to admit, but... The thing is... Sometimes they feel like the parents I've never had."

My eyes widened, and my mouth gaped open slightly. "Oh my gosh!" I said. "I'm sorry, I wasn't really considerate just then."

"No, no." Adrien sad quickly. "It's alright. I'm not mad at you."

"So..." I said slowly. "My parents are like your parents in that sense?"

"Yeah...?" He said, sounding a bit confused.

"Would that make us..." I said, the words catching in my throat. I almost did the want to say them. "Like brother and sister?"

"No way!" He said quickly. It surprised me, and made me blush, the way he denied it so fast.

"I mean..." I swear he seemed to be blushing too. "Alya said we're going to have kissing scenes, right? I'd rather not imagine it like kissing my sister."

I giggled a bit and blushed hard. Why'd he have to bring up the fact we were going to kiss?

"I suppose you're right." I said.

The traffic slowed, and we were able to cross the street. When we got to the bakery door, he opened it for me. I quietly thanked him as we stepped inside.

"Welcome home-" My mother greeted me until she saw Adrien. Her eyes lit up and she grinned widely. "Adrien! It's wonderful to see you again!"

"It's great to see you again too, Mrs. Cheng." He smiled back.

"Sabine, dear." She said. "Tom and I have just made fresh baked croissants if you two want a snack."

I giggled a little seeing the way Adrien's eyes lit up. "We'd love to." I said. "We also have more news about our film."

"Tell us as you eat." My mother said, leading us into the kitchen

"Adrien, great to see you, m'boy." My father smiled at him holding out croissants to each of us. "You know, Marinette has told us all about your class film. A romance between the two of you-"

"About that!" I blurted, blushing a little. I didn't want my mother or father to further embarrass me in front of Adrien. "We're planning on using our home as Zachary's home. That's alright, isn't it?"

"Of course, it's alright!" My father patted Adrien's shoulder. "You're always welcome into our home."

"Our home is your home whenever you need." My mother smiled.

Adrien smiled, and I noticed tears forming in his eyes. "You both have no idea how much that means to me. Thank you."

"No, thank you." My father said, glancing briefly at me. "You make my daughter very happy."

I only realized what my father said when Adrien gave me a small, barely noticeable smirk. "Really?"

"Well... Yeah." I said, blushing as I tried to cover up. "I mean, I really enjoy spending time with you and I really value our... Friendship."

I'm not ready to tell him that I love him. I'm afraid I may lose the friendship we already share. I much more rather just stay friends than loose him from my life. It does hurt a little though, picturing us as just friends and nothing more.

"So do I." Adrien grinned. "You make me really happy too."

"Well, if you're going to be filming here, make sure the place is ready." My mother said. "Tom and I have deliveries to attend to shortly, so we should be out of your way."

"Alright." I said, soon finishing my croissant. I looked at Adrien, who's croissant was nowhere in sight.

"I suppose I should show you to your room." I said, soon blushing afterwards. "I mean... Zachary's room... For the film... Only the film..."

I mentally face palmed. I was only making this awkward situation worse!

"Have fun." My mother smiled.

"But not too much fun, eh?" My father added with a wink.

My face burned with embarrassment. "Dad!" I hissed under my breath.

My parents chuckled, and soon left Adrien and I alone in the bakery.

"Shall we?" I asked, gesturing to the stairs.

* * *

After I showed him the guest room, we each took a seat on the couch, controllers in hand.

"I'm gonna beat you this time." He told me as I turned on the TV.

"If you say so." I grinned.

Soon, we started playing. I ended up winning, but it was a lot tougher than last time.

"You've gotten better since last time." I commented.

"Nah..." He said, shaking his head in disagreement. "I just got lucky. That's all."

I gave him a slightly confused look, and he stuck his hand into one of his pockets. I gasped a little when he pulled out the lucky charm bracelet that I had given him.

"I still carry it around with me." He said. "I've noticed it really does work."

I couldn't say anything. I blushed at his words and seeing that he kept that bracelet with him since our first time playing video games together.

"That's too cute!"

Adrien and I both jumped with surprise, and turned to see Alya leaning over the back of the couch, grinning from ear to ear as her eyes flickered between Adrien and me.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

My cheeks burned as I tried to push away my blush. Let's make it clear that I was only blushing a little bit, and only because of Alya's word choice.

"Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, also red from blushing. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." She replied, still grinning from ear to ear. "Anyway, everyone's gonna start showing up in about five minutes."

"Already?" Marinette asked, standing up immediately. "Wow."

"Though," Alya added. "I've heard time usually slows when you're with that special someone~"

I put the charm bracelet back in my pocket, still pushing away my blush. Alya was making it harder to hide.

Marinette giggled awkwardly, thankfully giving Alya a look that made her friend not say another word.

"So..." I spoke, breaking the silence. "Have you finished writing any other scenes for the film?"

"Oh yes!" Alya said happily. "I've finished the next three. I had nothing to do, so I sat down and made myself write."

"That's great!" Marinette smiled.

"Here." She said, holding out the new scripts. "You two can start looking over them. Meanwhile, I'll text Nino. He should be here by now!"

"Finally!" I said with a smile as I read over scene nine. I looked up to see Marinette looking back at me with a confused expression.

"Oh, sorry." I chuckled awkwardly, feeling embarrassed for blurting out suddenly. "It's just, we finally get to film together in scene eight."

"Really?" Marinette smiled, though she still seemed nervous.

"It's only written out." I continued. "Scenes four, five, six, and seven still need to be filmed first."

"Right." She said. "We're about to get four out of the way."

"And hopefully five and six." Alya added looking up from her phone. "Nino's on his way with the rest of the class. Bringing over the equipment."

To pass the time, Marinette and I read over the new scenes. Soon enough, the rest of the class joined us in her house.

"Now that we're all inside," Alya said with a slight chuckle. "We all got to go outside."

Many groans of protest were heard as the class made its way outside the bakery.

Once outside, Alya handed out the new scripts to everyone else as Nino explained the next scenes to take place.

"We're all aware that Marinette's house will serve as Zachary's house for the film," He said. "And it's been decided, and confirmed, that Mayor Bourgeois will provide a room of his hotel for Marinette to use as Marilee's apartment."

Chloe grumbled a bit under her breath, but no one paid her much attention.

"This scene will start outside with Adrien getting out of, what will be, Zachary's blue truck and we'll go on from there. As the scene continues to inside, only Adrien, me, and the volunteers from the animal shelter will follow."

The class turned to see a man and a woman, the man kneeling to hold a brown dog by the collar, and the woman standing with Ambrose in her arms.

"Without further ado, places please!" Alya called out.

I saw the blue truck and climbed inside it, waiting for the call for the start of the scene. I didn't have to wait long for Nino to yell "Action!"

* * *

I climbed out of the truck and shut the door before walking to the truck bed and taking out a red duffel bag with a yellow fireman's logo on it.

I continued to walk around the truck, stopping directly behind it to look up. For the nineteenth time, I saw the dog up on its hind legs, barking at Ambrose just out of its reach. The ginger cat was on a white tarp covering cardboard boxes, and between two white sacks of I don't know what, and sheltered by a wooden pallet.

"Hey!" I said to the dog. "Hey come on. Leave the cat alone." The dog continued to bark.

"Hey-" I cut myself with a sigh and walked over to the animals. "Leave the cat alone!"

"Come on, shoo!" I said patting the dog's back. "Shoo!"

The dog ran away from me and to the shelter volunteer just out of shot of Nino's camera. I turned back to Ambrose and moved closer.

"Hi." I whispered as I reached for the cat. He tensed up slightly as I touched him. "Come here."

"Okay..." I muttered as I picked him up. "You're okay."

I took him from his hide away and held him against my chest. "You're safer now, alright? Just run home before it comes back."

"There you go." I said, putting the cat down. I turned and walked toward the house after picking up the duffel bag once more as Ambrose walked to the volunteer.

Nino followed me as I walked to the front door and pretended to unlock the door. When I walked inside, Ambrose followed me in.

I shut the door and put down the duffel bag and walked down the hallway. I took off the light jacket I had been wearing and draped it over the wooden step ladder near a red chair. All the other furniture was covered with plastic, and a paint tray with a shade of white in it was on the floor.

Marinette's parents gave us permission to repaint the walls for the film saying that they needed to repaint anyway. In my opinion, they're too kind for their own good.

I sat on the chair and picked up my phone. I studied it for a moment before putting it back on the chair arm as Ambrose jumped into my lap.

"Oh!" I said in surprise, beginning to pet the cat. "Hi."

"How did you get in here?" I asked, trying to read his tag. "Ambrose? What kind of name is Ambrose?"

I stroked the cat's back a few more times and let out a sigh. I picked him up and carried him in my arms back through the house.

"I work twenty-four-hour shifts, then I come home and crash." I told him. "I don't do commitment."

I brought him to the door and sighed. "Alright." I opened the door and put down Ambrose.

"Alright." I repeated. "There's the door." When he didn't move, I continued. "I'm serious. I'm serious, you have to go."

I let out a light exasperated scoff as the cat rubbed against my legs. "What are you doing?"

"I live alone." I told him. "I don't even own a plant because they require too much care."

"I said, you have to go." I repeated when Ambrose sat and looked up at me. I let out a sigh. "Really?"

I sighed again and picked him back up. "One night, but that is it."

I closed the door and headed to the kitchen. I set Ambrose onto the island counter and opened the fridge.

I closed the fridge, holding up a glass bottle of milk and a small tin tray. "I'll feed you, but that's it."

The cat stood up and looked at the container of milk in my hand. "I've had a long day, so stay in here and don't bug me."

I poured some milk into the tray and set it next to him then put the milk bottle back into the fridge.

I walked out of the kitchen and down the hall, picking up the television remote up off of a covered shelf in the hallway. I turned to see Ambrose running towards me, down the Hall.

"Fine," I said. "You can come in here, but stay off my chair. It's the one place I absolutely insist..."

I broke myself off as the ginger cat leaped onto the red chair I had been sitting on earlier.

I walked over to the chair as he made himself comfortable. "Alright, move over."

I picked up Ambrose and sat down with another sigh and pet him. "One night, that's it." I told him. "Then you're gone."

I reached to take out the remote and pointed it at the TV and turned it on.

"Cut!" Nino smiled. "Great job, Adrien."

I grinned at him, then at Ambrose. I pet him a few more times as I stood up with him in my arms. "And good job to you too."

We walked out of the house to an evening sky.

"Well?" Demanded Alya.

"We got it." Nino grinned. "It was great."

"Perfect timing." Marinette smiled. "My scene is shot at dark. Do we have the Walmart bags?"

Alya nodded. "Let's head over to the hotel, shall we?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

The class stood outside the Bourgeois hotel getting specific instructions from Alya and Nino.

"The same applies here as was at Marinette's house." Alya said. "Only the actresses get to be with Nino while he films. Everyone else will wait in the hotel lobby."

"Thank you, Alya." Nino smiled. "Marinette, Sabrina, are you two ready to start?"

Sabrina and I each nodded in excitement. I could tell Sabrina was excited to have her first role in our movie filmed, but I was excited to film another scene to get closer to being in my first scene with Adrien!

Once everyone except for Nino, Sabrina, and I moved inside, I picked up the Walmart bags, filled with random items, and headed to my place. Sabrina walked to her place. Nino called action.

I started walking down the sidewalk to the front of the hotel. Right when I was about to turn into the front doors, Sabrina stepped into view.

Although I knew she would be there, she still scared me. I squealed a bit and dropped the bags.

"Cut!" Nino called out. He, Sabrina, and I knelt by the spilled bags and began refilling them. "Marinette, you're supposed to be startled to see her and all, but not enough to drop the bags."

"I know, I know." I said, picking up the bags again.

"I'm sorry..." Sabrina said, looking sympathetic. "I won't be as scary."

"No, no." I reassured her. "You were great. I just need to be more prepared."

"From the top!" Nino called. I got back into place and sighed. I'm not going to do that again.

For the second time, I walked down the sidewalk to the front of the hotel. At the same spot, Sabrina stepped into view.

This time, I held onto the bags as I lurched backward, and said, "Woah!" instead of one of my surprised noises. I took a second to regain myself, and remembered my lines.

"Mrs. Winnamucker." I said.

She grinned at me. "Hello, Miss White."

I awkwardly smiled back. "You scared me."

Her smile faded quickly. "Vilma Tuttle... thought she heard a cat this morning." A new, less warm, smile came back to her face. "Have you heard anything?"

"No." I replied quickly, hoping my face didn't portray the fact I was lying. I avoided eye contact as I continued, looking around me. "No, but we're surrounded by other apartments, so maybe one of them have-"

"She distinctly heard it as though it was coming from this building" She interrupted pulling my attention back to her as she pointed to the hotel. She looked back at me as my eyes stayed on the hotel for a second longer.

"Well," I said looking back at her. "Uh, I'll keep my eyes open."

Sabrina smiled and nodded.

"But I can't imagine anybody would want to break the Angel Arms' sacred no pet policy." I continued.

"It would mean immediate eviction." She told me with a serious face.

"Of course it would." I said, forcing a smile. We looked at each other for a few more seconds before Nino called scene.

Sabrina and I giggled. "Good job, Marinette." She told me. "I'm glad that only took two takes."

"Yeah." I agreed. "You're a natural."

The three of us walked through the doors of the hotel to be greeted by our class.

"Done already?" Adrien asked.

"With that scene." Nino answered. "Now we have to go to the room."

To our surprise, Chloe stepped forward, though she didn't look very happy. "Daddykins said I was to show you to the room."

"Oh." I replied. "Alright."

"Lead the way." Nino smiled.

My eyes widened as we got to the room. "Oh, wow."

"I know, I know." Chloe smirked at me. "Probably better than anything you could afford."

I sent her a glare, but then smiled to myself as I remembered that I was the one to end up with Adrien in the film, and he was going to break up with her.

"Anyway," Chloe continued. "Daddy said we get to use this room for as long as we need. No one's going to be checked into this room until we're done."

"That's good." Nino smiled. Chloe sashayed off, leaving Nino and I to look around the room.

I realized where to go as I walked around the room. "Okay," I said. "I think I'm ready."

"Me too." I heard a girl's voice. One of the shelter's volunteers I'm pretty sure is around my age. She was holding Queenie. "Just tell me when to have her walk in here. I'll be over there." She gestured to a closet.

"Queenie should come over to Marinette as she peeks out the window." Nino said looking over the script.

"Great!" The girl said taking Queenie with her to just outside the closet. She gave us a thumbs up.

"Ready?" Nino asked me. I nodded and walked back outside the hotel room.

When he called out action, I opened the door and stepped inside. "Okay..." I sighed as I closed the door.

I walked out of the small entryway and put down the Walmart bags against the wall. I sighed again and crept towards the window, muttering. "Where are you?"

I turned on the Christmas tree lights before leaning over it to pull back the curtains. I peered out the window and nervously looked outside. "Yes." I whispered in relief. Marilee had been checking for Mrs. Winnamucker still hanging around to catch her with Queenie.

I let the curtains fall back over the window and looked down. "Hi, Queenie." I said happily as I bent down to scoop up the cat. "How are you? How was your day?"

I paused for a moment before continuing. "Wow, that good, huh?" Nino was going to edit in the sound effects for Queenie and Ambrose. All the purring and meowing that wouldn't necessarily come when we needed would be added in.

I walked away from the Christmas tree, holding Queenie close to me. "Oh, well, my day was pretty ordinary."

I sat down on a chair as I continued. "I fell asleep in school, I almost got hit by a firetruck, and then I went to work and got slobbered on by a bulldog." I stroked the cat's fur as I spoke.

I paused to look at Queenie. "Well..." I said, continuing to pet her. "All in all, a pretty good start to the holiday."

"And... Scene." Nino said. The volunteer walked over, clapping.

"Only one take?" She asked. "That's impressive."

"Thanks." I smiled and handed over Queenie. "I'm Marinette, by the way."

"Kagami." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I hope we'll continue to work together for the film."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"I'm going to get going." Ivan said as he walked through the door, followed by Max who muttered, "Yeah". They were both in blue firemen uniforms.

The fire department had allowed us to film for a while. At the moment, we were in in the garage with a large walk-in room full of equipment on racks and shelves.

Ivan stopped and looked at a counter with a mirror hanging on the wall above it. "I left them right here." He pointed to the counter and looked at Max.

"I'll check your equipment." Max said, walking to the equipment room. Kim, also in a blue uniform, walked out of the room, passing Max on the way.

"Have you seen my keys?" Ivan called over to me. I looked up at him with my phone held up to my ear. I too was wearing the same blue uniform. I was sitting on a fire engine with Ambrose on my lap.

"No, sorry," I called back. I looked forward, staring at nothing as I talked into my phone. "Hi, yeah, this is Zachary Stone calling again. I left you a message last night. I found your cat, Ambrose, and this number was on his collar."

"Nothing in here." Max called out as he stepped back out of the equipment room.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." I said, still talking into my phone. "Yeah, thank you."

I pretended to hang up, because I wasn't really on the phone with anyone, and put it down next to me as Max walked over.

"Hey what's up?" He asked.

"Uh, well, I found this cat yesterday, and he followed me into my house." I said as I scratched Ambrose behind his ear. "Turns out his owner's this elderly woman who died last week, and she doesn't have any family."

Max sat down next to me as I paused.

"Do you know anyone who wants a cat?" I asked.

Max scoffed. "Not me, I'm a dog guy. I don't understand cats."

Ivan walked into the equipment room as he spoke and turned to us as he entered, pointing to Max. "That's probably because you've never had one."

"Hey, check this out." Max said. "There's this dog on YouTube. He got separated from his owner, walked over a thousand miles, using only scent to find him."

"A thousand miles?" I smiled a bit. "How bad did the guy smell?"

"Alright, maybe I got the actual distance wrong, but that's not the point." Max said. "The point is, dogs are loyal, I get that. Cats, they're mysterious."

"Aw, not once you get to know them." Ivan said walking over to us from the equipment room. "Actually, cats are very intuitive. They feel earthquakes before they happen, they smell smoke long before the fire alarm. They save lives."

"Great." I said to Ivan. "You want to take him?"

"Harriet's allergic." Ivan responded. Harriet was the name of his character's wife.

"Hey, how does the gorgeous dental hygienist feel about cats?" Kim asked, holding part of a hose in his hands.

"Melinda?" I asked, looking at him. I grumbled a bit as I put Ambrose down, then stood up, leaning against the front of the engine and crossing my arms. "I'm not seeing her anymore."

"Yeah, he's dating Blair now." Max smirked. "She's a model."

"Of course she is." Kim said with a small scoff.

"You know, it's like this magical revolving door of beautiful women." Max told me. I chuckled slightly at his wording choice. "And seriously, I don't know what they see in you."

"Women like the challenge." Kim called over. I gave him a questioning look as he continued. "He tells them he's not interested in a commitment, and they think they're the one that's going to change him."

"Zach, she's a model." Max said, causing me to look at him. "Come on, would it really be that hard waking up next to her every morning?"

"She does not want to get married, and neither do I." I told him.

"One of these days," Ivan said. "You're gonna meet the right girl, settle down, get married." He turned and walked away as Max looked down and shook his head.

"It'll never happen." I called after Ivan.

"You don't believe in happily ever after?" He asked.

"I believe in happy right now." I said.

We heard the jingling of keys, and looked over to see Ambrose pawing at them. "Ever after never works." I added as Ivan walked over to Ambrose and picked him up, along with the keys.

"Keep the model," Ivan said facing Max, Kim, and I. "Don't keep the model, but the cat stays." He grinned and held up the keys.

"Scene!" Nino called. He looked happy to finally say that after all the cuts we made. "After thirty-two takes, we finally finished the scene."

"Yes," Alya said. "Except, we're only eleven or twelve minutes into the film, and it's going to be close to an hour and a half."

I smiled a bit, though others complained. I don't care that this is a school project, or that I'm one of the main characters, I enjoy acting out Alya's scripts with my friends.

"Adrikins!" I groaned a bit at hearing the, all too familiar, voice speak my nickname that only she called me.

"What is it Chloe?" I asked, trying my best not to look annoyed.

"You've mentioned my character's name!" She said happily as she stood in front of me. "That means we'll have a scene together soon! Maybe it's the next one, or the one after that!"

"Sorry, but I don't know when Alya will write us a scene to be in together." I tried to say nicely. "The next time I'll film a scene with anyone will be with Marinette. Other than that, it'll just be me and Ambrose."

"Ugh!" Chloe scrunched her face up in anger. "Why does the baker's daughter get a scene with you before me?! We're dating for crying out loud!"

"We're only dating... In the... Film..." I tried to say as she stormed off, most likely to complain to Alya.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"Now I just need a book." Adrien said to Alya, Nino, and I after he had settled into a sitting position on the bed. The other two turned to me and I smiled.

"I'll be right back." I told them before running out of the guest room and downstairs. I took a few books from the bookshelf and turned to go back upstairs, but I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and looked over my shoulder to see my dad.

"How's the filming going?" He asked with a smile. "How does it feel being the star?"

"Papa..." I said, blushing slightly. "I'm not really the star... Adrien has a leading role too."

"So we've heard." My mom said as she walked to my dad's side. "A leading role in a romance film with Adrien. Must be something special."

I blushed a bit more and looked down at the books in my hands. "Actually... It's really not." I said. "He doesn't see filming with me as being more than a school project."

My mom looked at me with concern. "Oh, Sweetie... I'm sure that will change as you get into the film."

I shook my head and smiled, trying to keep away my own disappointment. "No, I don't think so. Thanks anyway."

Before they could say anything else, I ran back upstairs. I forced a smile when I walked back into the room and held up the books. "I've got a few." I said.

I put them down on the nightstand next to the lamp, and took a step back so I wouldn't be in view of the camera. Alya put Ambrose on the edge of the bed, then stood next to me. Adrien picked up a book and opened it.

"And... Action." Nino said.

Adrien looked at the book for a moment, then closed it and turned to put it on the nightstand with the other books. He made a convincing fake yawn as he turned off the lamp and laid down, pulling the covers over him.

As he moved the pillows around and was just about to lay his head down, he looked up at the end of the bed.

Adrien propped himself up with his arm to see Ambrose laying on the bed. "No." He said as he sat up once more. "Off the bed."

"I'm serious." He said with a serious face. I struggled to contain my laughter. After several seconds of silence, he rolled his eyes and got out of bed.

He picked up Ambrose and carried the ginger cat out of the room. He held him out and looked at the cat with a sigh. "Sorry, man, I've got to draw the line somewhere."

Adrien put Ambrose down on the other side of the door, then stepped back into the room. After shutting the door, Nino stopped filming. "Good. Now we just need one more shot."

Alya nodded and picked up Ambrose again, then walked back into the room. Nino and I followed to see Adrien back in bed.

"Alright, dude." Nino said. "Make it look like you've been sleeping for at least an hour, and you've turned a bit in your sleep."

Adrien ruffled up his hair a bit, giving himself a bedhead. I blushed and looked away. He looked super cute! He laid back in bed and rolled onto his stomach, the blanket covering him from the waist down except for a leg.

Alya put Ambrose in the blanket on his back and stepped back for Nino. After Nino filmed the ten second part of Zachary sleeping, he turned off the camera. "Great work! Only one take for that scene."

"I've found that the short scenes on my own are easiest." I said as Adrien sat up and held Ambrose in his lap.

"So have I." He smiled and scratched Ambrose behind the ear, resulting with a purr.

"I wonder how many takes it will take to film each of your scenes together?" Alya said, looking at me with a smirk. I blushed and hoped Adrien didn't noticed.

Adrien smiled at me, making me blush a little more. "I don't mind. I can't wait to film together."

Nino grinned and exchanged a look with Alya. She better not have told him...

"Then better be ready for tomorrow." Nino said. "We'll film your first scene together."

"Are you serious?!" I asked with a small squeal. I was beyond excited, and nervous. It would be the start of the romance between Marilee and Zachary!

"You seem tense about it." Nino said to me. "You do know all of your lines, right?"

"Of course I know all of my lines." I said quickly. "I'm just really excited. That's all."

Adrien grinned. "I'm really excited too." he said, making me squeal again on the inside. "It's going to be really fun."

"Then we'd better get our rest." Alya said, taking Ambrose from Adrien. "We're meeting at the supermarket at nine tomorrow morning because Ms. Bustier is giving us the day off to film."

Adrien nodded and got out of bed. "Right. My father won't want me away much longer anyway."

After we walked downstairs, my parents seemed to swarm us, though there were four of us and only two of them. They asked Nino how he liked being our camera guy, how Alya liked writing our scripts, and how they both liked being directors together.

I felt as if I would die of embarrassment when they turned to Adrien. "Marinette is really excited about filming this movie with you." My dad said.

"So I've heard." He answered with a smile. "I'm excited too."

"And a romance around Christmas time!" My mom said happily. "How romantic!"

My dad put a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "You better treat my daughter well, you hear me?"

"I..." Adrien said awkwardly. "I promise I'll treat Marinette well."

"Mama, Papa!" I whisper shouted. "This is only for the film, remember?"

"She's right, Tom." My mom said. "It's for a film, not reality."

I didn't speak to my parents during dinner. I couldn't believe they embarrassed me like that! Now Adrien probably knows that I'm in love with him, and he'll feel so awkward for not returning my feelings and won't talk to me ever again!

My parents didn't try to talk to me either. I'm sure they felt guilty, and they should! I just hope I'll be able to function properly tomorrow when I film my first real scene with Adrien.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

After what Marinette's parents said last night, I hope they really don't think that I'd hurt Marinette. She's a great friend, and I'd never hurt her on purpose.

Then again, why do fathers tell boys that? I blushed a bit at the thought. The only thing I could think of was the guys who date girls normally get a warning from the girl's father.

"I'm sorry I haven't given out any scripts recently." Alya snapped me out of my thoughts. "I promise I have been working on them though. This is what I've got."

After handing out the finished scripts to everyone, we all started looking over them. "Wow." I commented. "There's a lot of scenes here."

"I know right?" Alya grinned. "Hopefully it won't take too long to film the next couple scenes and to learn the next script. That way we can film most of the day and get closer to finishing the movie film. I've completed a total of six more scenes, and I'm almost halfway done writing the next one."

"How were you able to write so much?" Max asked, impressed.

"It was easy." Alya smiled. "I already have the main story line planned out in my head. All I have to do is write it down. Even if that means writing during class. But you all can read them later. Let's get to filming! Everyone except for Marinette, Adrien, and Nino will be extras. The store has also made it public that we were filming here, so the other people still shopping here are also okay if they show up as an extra."

After we finished filming that scene, we all gathered around Nino to watch. This was because the whole class wanted to see how it turned out. Everyone except me and Marinette were extras and hadn't been able to watch us film. It had taken quite a few takes, but it was still fun. I wasn't complaining either because I missed Marinette's first part of the scene as I waited in my place.

It started out with Marinette leaning over a shopping cart as she pushed it slowly next to the frozen dessert freezers. She stopped and looked in through one of the glass doors, then opened it to take out a small container of ice cream.

She looked at it and sucked through her teeth as she held it, her hand still on the door handle before she opened the freezer to put it back. She took out a slightly bigger container of the same flavor, and was just about to put it in her cart before putting that one back as well.

She quickly took out a tub of that ice cream flavor, put it in her cart, and started to push the cart away. As she leaned over it, her arms crossed on the handlebar, she stared straight ahead with a straight face as if she didn't take anything at all. At the conclusion of this part of the scene, several of us laughed a bit.

The scene changed to show me, wearing a fireman's uniform without the heavy jacket, holding two types of cat food. I had a confused expression as I tried to pretend not to know which was the better choice. Next to me was a cart almost full of cat supplies.

Marinette came to a stop at my side as she slowly pushed her cart over, saying, "Oooo." As if the choice I would make was a bad one. I had looked at her to see her sucking through her teeth with a worried expression.

"No?" I asked. "No good?"

She laughed slightly and shook her head. "Not... Not... Not good." She said as she got a little closer to me.

I had laughed nervously. "I'm new at this." I told her.

"What kind of cat do you have?" She asked me, standing up straight.

I narrowed my eyes and looked just above her head as I thought. "uhh... Well, he's sort of orange-ish..." I said then looked at her with a questioning look as if I was asking what type of cat it was. "Stripes."

"That's a very rare breed." She said with sarcastic seriousness. We both let out amused breaths as she continued, "You should take extra special care of him."

"He's not mine." I told her flat out. "It's a temporary thing. I... rescued him from this dog, and he's sort of attached himself to me, and..." I trailed off, looking away from her, then sighed slightly and looked back at her as I finished my line. "His name is Ambrose."

"Hmm." Marinette hummed and turned her gaze away from me as she looked ahead of her at the cat food. "Cats have very good intuition about people." She said, looking at me again. "You should take it as a compliment he wants to live with you."

As she said the last sentence, I opened my mouth as if I was going to interrupt, but waited for her to finish before saying, "Well, he doesn't really have much of a choice. His owner died so, um, he's stuck with me until I find him a new home."

Marinette took in a breath as she looked back at the cat products. "I volunteer at the shelter and cats rarely make it out of there, so..." She paused briefly, looking at me. "You're a hero."

She paused again and pointed to the fireman badge sewn into the uniform I was wearing. "Well, I mean, obviously you're a hero." She paused and moved her hand as she continued to point at it, circling the badge with her finger. I lifted my arm slightly to look at it, then lowered it and looked back at her.

"You're a double hero." She finished awkwardly, and I let out an amused breath. She looked away awkwardly and cleared her throat as I looked back at the cat food bags in my hands.

"The uhh..." She said, trying to get out of the previous awkward part of the conversation, and I looked at her as she paused to swallow and recollect herself. "Cheap dry food can be hard on their kidneys, and if you have a male cat, they have a tendency towards prostate problems."

She paused briefly as she reached forward and took different bag of cat food off the shelf, me putting back the bags I had been debating with earlier. "I'd go with this dry food and alternate it with the canned." She handed the bag to me and I looked at it, holding it in front of me.

"Well, I gave him milk," I said, looking back at her. "And he wouldn't drink it."

She slightly shook her head as she talked. "Yeah, no milk's not good for them. They can't process the sugars in it..." She took in a breath. No wonder, she had been talking fast. "It gives them horrible diarrhea." She had paused slightly to stress the word horrible.

I had looked back at the back as she talked, but looked back at her and slowly nodded with a small, slightly amused smile. She looked away as if realizing that she had been way more specific with side effects than was needed.

"Are you a vet or something?" I asked, and she shook her head with an amused breath. I continued to smile at her in amusement as she replied.

"Almost." She said. "I have another year of school left. Right now I work at Bosley's Pet Supply." She said the name of the store with a slightly dramatic importance to her words.

"Oh." I said. "I know the family who owns it."

"Eggshell, right? " She asked, completely changing the subject.

"Huh?" I asked, looking at her with slight confusion. She looked down at my hand and made a small gesture.

"You're- You're painting?" She asked. I took my hand off the bag in my cart that it had been resting on and I looked at it for a second. There was a shade of white paint on it, apparently eggshell.

"Oh." I said in realization and let it fall to my side as I looked at her.

"I- I only ask because I just finished my living room." She said, talking quickly again. "I painted it pearl. I couldn't decide between eggshell, ecru, or buttercream." She paused a bit, looking at me, then shook her head. "It's stupid, sorry."

"No, no, not at all." I said quickly. "I-I have six shades of white on my wall, and I can't decide which one to use."

"Is your house more traditional or modern?" She asked.

"Uhh, definitely more traditional." I answered.

"I'd go with more..." She started, trying to think of the right way to phrase the shade. "Creamier, yellow-ish tones, those whites. They're warmer, like your eyes... for... instance..."

I looked at her questioningly and she looked away awkwardly. That's when I noticed the large tub of ice cream in her cart. "I- you- you- you having a party?" I asked, awkwardly trying to change the subject.

She looked at me with a confused expression. "No..." She said. "Why?"

I pursed my lips slightly as I shook my head, looking at the ice cream, thinking it would have been obvious. "Just..."

She looked down at the ice cream then back up at me. "Right. That... is going to last me..." She trailed off and started nodding slightly. "A really long time."

I smiled and nodded, amused by her cover up. "Good luck with the cat." She said, nodded again, then looked away and started to push her cart away from me. She let out a deep breath as she took a bag of cat food off the shelf and dropped it in her cart as if she couldn't believe how awkward she just was. I watched her leave with an amused smile, and the scene ended.

Laughter filled the air at the conclusion of the scene, and everyone congratulated me and Marinette for a job well done in acting. I couldn't help but notice Marinette laughing awkwardly at their praises, and I realized that her character didn't act much different around Zachary as she normally does around me.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

We had already made a few takes of scene ten. Mylene was apologizing for mixing up her lines, and Alya was trying to tell her it wasn't a problem.

"We'll just do another retake." Adrien said with a smile. "No worries."

"Alright." Mylene said and nodded, getting back to her place behind the register. "I'll get it this time."

"Scene ten, take five." Alix said using the clapperboard, followed by Nino calling out "action."

I was at the back of a line, waiting to check out with my items. I was looking down at my things when I muttered, "Pathetic." I looked up to see Adrien push his cart to the checkout line next to the one I was in.

I quickly took a magazine from the magazine stand next to me and opened it, hiding my face even though it was upside down. The rest of me was hidden by the racks and shelves of candy in between our isles.

I peeked around the magazine to see Mylene look at Adrien as he emptied his cart onto the cashier conveyor belt. "Hey." She said, making Adrien look at her with a slightly raised eyebrow as he continued emptying his cart. "You're the guy." She continued.

Adrien stood upright with a bag of cat supplies in his hand, looking at Mylene in confusion. "You're the guy who saved my life." She pointed at him and smiled happily. With a slight laugh, she continued. "I'm going to have to come around here and give you a bear hug."

"Oh that's... yeah, that's not necessary." Adrien said as she started to walk around the cash register.

"This guy," Mylene continued, pointing at him as she walked. "This guy climbed through my kitchen window, and saved my life when my oven exploded." Adrien looked around with a slightly uncomfortable look.

"Just- Just doing my job, ma'am, I just- oof!" He was broken off by Mylene hugging him tightly. I lowered the magazine slightly and chuckled softly.

"Well, I'm glad you're safe." Adrien said as Mylene hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back slightly as he continued to look around embarrassedly. "That's what counts."

"And scene!" Nino called out. "Good job everyone! Now, let's take this outside."

After a few takes of the following scenes, we finally got it. Now, the whole class was gathered around Nino as we watched the finished eleventh scene.

Adrien walked out of the grocery store with his cart full, everything in bags. As he walked to the truck we were using as Zachary's, a couple girls none of us knew walked past, looked at him with smiles. Adrien smiled back at them and kept going. Originally, they hadn't been part of the film, but Alya ran after them to ask if it was okay if they were in the film, because she liked the unexpected part of the scene. The girls said it was fine, so we're using them in our film.

"Forget it." I had said after watching Adrien head my way. His truck was a few parking spaces away from where the car I was using was. I turned back to my groceries and continued to load them into the back of the car. "I don't have time to date, and even if I did, guys like Mr. Green Eyes don't date girls that talk about cat diarrhea. What was I thinking?"

I stood up and looked at him after putting the last of my groceries in the back of the car. Suddenly, Adrien started running towards me. I gave him a funny look as he got closer, and lifted a hand to wave when he sped by me. I followed him with my eyes to see him grab the handle of my cart, stopping it just in time before it hit another car that was pulling out of its parking spot.

I chuckled awkwardly as he pushed it back to me. I continued to be awkward as I pointed to the cart. "Thank you." I said.

"No problem." He said.

I nodded slightly in embarrassment. "Yeah."

"Uh, well, I just..." He started.

I awkwardly looked up at him, shaking my head slightly. "Yeah."

"Merry Christmas." He told me then continued to push the cart towards his truck.

"Merry Christmas!" I said back in an awkward higher pitch. I turned around, muttering to myself in embarrassment as I closed the back door of the car. The scene switched back to show Adrien grinning in amusement and shake his head slightly as he walked away.

The class laughed and congratulated Adrien and I on a job well done. We smiled and accepted the praises. Filming these scenes with Adrien wasn't as hard as I originally thought it would be. Marilee acting awkward was a great cover up to act with Adrien, because I'd be awkward either way.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"Okay, everyone." Alya said, smiling. "We are now officially eighteen minutes into the film. Not that bad since we still have a few weeks to finish. Now, let's have a lunch break. I recommend reading over the scripts and learning lines. Meanwhile, I'm going to write more scripts."

Everyone got a script and started to read through them. After a few minutes, Marinette spoke up excitedly. "I have a sister in the film?" She asked. "Who's going to play her?"

"Wait, is that the next scene?" Alya asked, looking over her friend's shoulder. "Shoot! I didn't realize we were at that part yet! I was going to find someone to volunteer. You know, someone who kind of looks like you."

"Actually..." Marinette smiled a bit. "I have an idea of who can play her."

"Really?" Alya smiled. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Kagami." Marinette said. "She was one of the pet handlers that volunteered to help us out."

"Sweet!" Alya said happily. "Instead of writing, I'll go to the animal shelter and see if she's willing to come! Now we just need some guy to play Marilee's brother-in-law."

"Maybe Luka can come and help us out." Juleka suggested so quietly that she was barely heard.

"Who's Luka?" I asked curiously.

"He's my older brother." she said. "If it's okay with you, Alya, I'll give him a call."

"That would be amazing!" Alya said happily. "I better go now so that Kagami an learn her lines quickly as long as she accepts."

While Alya was away, Luka had come to the park where we all had gathered after filming the last scene. Alya had left extra copies of the scripts with Juleka, and Juleka gave Luka a copy when he arrived.

"Adrien!" I turned to see Chloe coming over to me, smiling. "Our scene is next. Let's run through our lines."

"Actually, Chloe," I said, looking at the scripts in my hand. "Marinette has a scene next with Kagami, if she plays Marilee's sister. Our first scene together is after."

"Who cares about Marinette's scenes." Chloe sneered. "She's a terrible actress anyway."

"Well, no." I said, defending Marinette. "She does a great job playing Marilee. It almost seems to come natural to her."

Chloe rolled her eyes and sighed. "I still can't believe Alya and Nino are forcing you to kiss her. It's totally unfair to you."

"Chloe," I said. "I'm not being forced to kiss Marinette. I don't mind kissing her. It is a romance between our characters, so I would honestly have been surprised if there wasn't a kiss."

"So you want to kiss Marinette?" Chloe asked, clearly disgusted.

I shrugged. It wasn't that I hated the idea, or loved the idea. It was just for the film. "I don't mind kissing Marinette." I repeated.

Chloe sighed heavily in annoyance. "Alright, fine." She said as if it were anything but fine. "But our characters are in a relationship first! We should have a kiss."

"What?" I asked. Now, the thought of kissing Chloe disgusted me way more than the idea of kissing Marinette ever could.

"I want Alya to write in a kiss between Zachary and Blair." Chloe crossed her arms.

"But, Alya's got enough to do with writing more scenes, and making sure Luka and maybe Kagami are ready to film in the next coming scenes."

"So, you're saying Alya is incapable of writing in one little kiss?" Chloe asked, looking at me in disbelief.

"No, I'm not saying-" I tried to protest.

"You know what?!" Chloe interrupted in an angry tone. "If those directors are trying to keep us apart by not letting us kiss in our scene, I'm going to tell Daddy to stop the film from happening!"

"No!" Panic shot through me. Even though this was a school project, it could lead to further opportunities for Nino and Alya. Would Chloe really ruin their chances over a kiss? Of course she would. But what could I do about it to keep Chloe happy?

Chloe looked at me questioningly at my interruption. "I mean..." I started. "Why don't we just put in the kiss where we want it? Let's go through our lines really good so we don't mess up, and Alya will have to use the take with our kiss for the film. That way we won't worry her about rewriting the script, and our characters get that kiss."

Chloe instantly brightened at my words. "You really think we could do this?" She asked. "Let's get to learning our lines right away. We need to find the perfect spot to share a kiss."

I internally cringed at what I had just promised her. I didn't want to kiss Chloe! She was honestly like a sister to me. I have never seen her as anything more than a friend.

After about half an hour passed, Chloe and I had gotten close to memorizing our lines. Alya had come back with Kagami about twenty minutes ago. The bluenette was excited to work with us. Nino had taken her to the TVi Studio to prepare a clip needed for scene twelve.

"Hey... Adrien?" I paused mid-reading from one of the lines I had with Chloe to look at Marinette.

"What's up?" I asked, smiling at her.

"I was, umm, I was wondering if you, uhh, wanted to go over some of our lines in our, err, upcoming scene?" She asked.

Just when I was about to respond, Chloe cut in. "Excuse you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, but you just rudely interrupted Adrien! We were already going over our lines, so if you could just leave-"

"Actually, Chloe, I think I'll go with Marinette." I interrupted, smiling at Marinette. "I know our lines pretty well, so I'd like to practice my lines with her."

As I walked away with Marinette to find a place to practice with her, I could hear Chloe muttering angrily. I smiled a bit more. I didn't mind making her upset if it meant spending time with Marinette.

About fifteen minutes later, Marinette and I strayed from rehearsing our lines. "Wait..." Marinette laughed. "So, you're telling me that you like to pun?"

"Well, yeah." I laughed. "I mean... I think I'm purr-ty good at it, don't you?"

"But why?" She kept laughing. "And why the cat puns?"

"Alya has named this film The Nine Lives of Christmas." I said. "Plus, we have cats."

"Our characters have cats." Marinette clarified.

"Exactly!" I said. "Thus, the cat puns!"

"You're impossible." Marinette laughed some more.

"Do you mean, im-paw-sible?" I asked, making her laugh more. I laughed with her and looked away from her and caught Chloe's eye. She had been looking at us with a glare, though I think she was glaring at Marinette more than me.

"Listen, Marinette." I said, bringing on a more serious tone. "Chloe threatened to have the Mayor shut down our film."

"What?" Marinette asked, her voice losing amusement as she looked at me worryingly. "Why?"

"She wants there to be a kiss between Zachary and Blair." I said. "And I've told her that we'd do it."

"You what?" Marinette asked in shock. "Why would you want to let her kiss you?!"

"That's the thing." I said, looking down. "I don't want to kiss her. I just agreed to it so that Alya and Nino get to keep the opportunity to prove how great they are at producing films."

"You're too nice for your own good." Marinette mumbled, looking down as well. I lifted my gaze to look at her and I could tell she had something else on her mind.

"What's up?" I asked curiously.

"It's just..." She trailed off, her face turning a light shade of red. Was she mad at me for agreeing to kiss Chloe? "It's just... You say that you don't want to kiss Chloe, but you have to in order to make sure the film goes well."

"Yeah?" I agreed, questioning her point to this.

"Do you feel the same way about our kissing scene?" She asked, looking up and meeting my eyes, her face a deeper red. "Because I really don't want you to feel forced into it. I can make Alya take it out. We don't have to kiss if you don't-"

"I do want to." I interrupted her rambling, then blushed deeply at what I said. "W-what I meant was I'm fine with it. I don't mind kissing you. I'd prefer it over kissing Chloe, anyway."

She looked at me with wide eyes, and she eventually looked down with a small smile. "You don't mean that... But thanks."

"But I do mean it." I said. "Don't worry about making me uncomfortable in having to kiss you. If you don't want to, we can have Alya rewrite-"

"No, I'm not complaining about it either." She said. We were put into an awkward silence for a few seconds before she said, "I think I'm going to go and find Alya. Warn her about Chloe."

"Alright, see you later." I said. She gave me one last smile before turning and walking away. I let out a long breath I didn't know I was holding in. I remembered how I had a feeling that my relationship with Marinette would change while creating this film. After our recent conversation, I believe that change has already started.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

Alya had taken the news of the written in kiss well. I didn't like the idea that Adrien would kiss Chloe, but he really didn't seem to be thrilled by it. That made me feel better about the whole situation.

I still can't stop thinking about Adrien's words:

_"Do you feel the same way about our kissing scene?" I asked, looking up and meeting his eyes, my face a deeper red. "Because I really don't want you to feel forced into it. I can make Alya take it out. We don't have to kiss if you don't-"_

_"I do want to." He interrupted my rambling, then he seemed to realize what he said, and his face turned red too. "W-what I meant was I'm fine with it. I don't mind kissing you. I'd prefer it over kissing Chloe, anyway."_

He said he wanted to! Even if he didn't really mean it, he still said it, and at least I knew he was serious when he told me he would prefer kissing me over kissing Chloe. I smiled dreamily as I thought about it.

"Cut!" I was brought out of my train of thought by Nino. "Marinette, that was your cue!"

"I'm sorry!" I said quickly. "I wasn't focusing."

"That much was clear." Alya said with a smirk. I had told her about Adrien's view on kissing me, and I was sure that she knew I was thinking about it. "From the top!"

"Scene twelve, take two." Alix said with the clapperboard.

"Action!" Nino called out.

I was sitting in the hotel room Mayor Bourgeois let us borrow for Marilee's room. I sat on a barstool at the kitchen counter with Queenie laying on the countertop, her paws tucked under her chest. A small box TV was showing a mountain lion documentary.

"See?" I asked out loud. "I'm watching TV. I do have balance in my life."

I paused and propped my head up with my arm, my hand in a loose fist against my cheek as my jaw rested in my palm.

"Hey," I told Queenie. "You're missing the best part. These are you ancestors, Queenie."

As soon as I finished that line, the channel changed to show Kagami in a housing commercial. I didn't understand how Nino made it seem realistic, but he did a great job.

"Are you looking for a new house?" The Kagami on the screen asked. She had walked out of the front door of a house clearly decorated for Christmas, and had a hand on her hip. "Christmas is a great time to buy."

I smiled at the TV as my arm came back down, no longer supporting my head. My cell phone rang, and I picked it up. "Hey!" I said, answering it. "Jaclyn!"

I let out an amused breath before continuing. "Yeah, I'm watching you on TV."

"Take my hand," The Kagami on the TV screen said, holding out her opposite hand. "And I'll walk you through it."

In the middle of screen Kagami saying her last line, there was a knock at the door. I turned to look at it, still holding my phone to my ear. "Jackie, just a sec."

I put down my phone after hanging up and scooped up Queenie. I hid cat toys that were out, I pushed a cat dish into a closet, then put Queenie down in that closet and shut the door.

I then walked to the front door and opened it, revealing Kagami on the other side, smiling at me.

I sighed heavily in relief as she lowered her phone from her ear. "I thought you were my landlord." I told her.

I laughed a bit in relief, and she stepped up to me and hugged me. I hugged her back, greeting her with, "Hi."

"You forgot about your birthday dinner!" She told me.

"I didn't forget!" I said quickly and looked at my wrist to look at the time on the watch I was wearing.

"Uhh, you're early. Right?"

"I'm always early." Kagami said, and walked past me to come inside. I closed the door and followed her out of the entry way and to the main living area of the hotel room.

"I have to show a house on the way to dinner," Kagami said, facing me. "And Kyle is double parked, so let's go."

"Oh, wait." I said, walking away quickly to get Queenie out of the closet. "You stay here and watch the house. I'll be right back." I told the cat then handed her to Kagami. "I'll grab my jacket."

"Oh, I wish I could take you home with me," She told Queenie. "But my four dogs would eat you alive."

"Four?" I questioned as I walked back over again with my jacket. It was the same puffy black coat I had been wearing in my earlier scenes with Rose and Sabrina. "I thought you and Kyle had three dogs."

"We took in another one." Kagami smiled, petting Queenie behind the ear as she talked.

"Yeah, well, you sound like Mom." I said as she laughed a bit.

"I know." She said. We both said nothing for a little while before I turned to the door.

"Let's go." I said.

"And that's scene!" Nino called. "Good job you two."

"You're amazing!" Kagami told me. "It was really fun filming this with you."

"It was fun filming this with you too." I smiled. "I look forward to our next scenes together."

"Next we have Adrien and Chloe." Alya said, reading through the next script. "Which means we got to go to Marinette's house."

"Alright." Nino said, starting to pack up the camera to move. "Let's go."

"Not so fast." Alya said. "Before we go, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been filmed so far, and thank you to everyone who is going to be filmed. A special thanks to Kagami and Luka for volunteering to fill in characters as well."

The two smiled and nodded at her as Alya paused to give them grateful looks. "Now, I'm going to say it." She continued. "I need a full day to myself to write as many scenes as I can. We have three weeks to finish this, and I know we can. I just need a little bit to write out the scenes. The quicker I do that, the quicker we can film them."

Everyone agreed, and we headed out of the Bourgeois hotel to my place.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"Well, amazing is what I was going for." Chloe smiled with a slight smirk. "So, mission accomplished."

I leaned away when she leaned in. "Adrikins!" Chloe said. "That was our kiss!"

"Cut!" Nino called out.

"I'm sorry, Chloe." I said. "I'm not exactly used to kissing you."

"Oh, don't worry about that." She said, no longer as upset. "You will be in no time.

I seriously doubted that but didn't say anything. Instead, I walked back to the room that had large sections of white paint on one wall on the already maroon-ish red paint. Chloe walked back outside the room and waited.

"Scene thirteen, take four." Alix said, and Nino called out to start taping.

I stared at the wall with the different white paints, my arms crossed so I looked as if I was thinking hard about which one looked best. "Which ones seem creamier or yellowish to you?" I asked.

I turned to look behind me to see Ambrose sitting on that red chair. He rolled over in it, and I waited a little bit before turning back to the wall. Nino was going to have Ambrose mew as if he were responding to me.

"Yeah, I agree." I said. "None of them are right."

I turned back to look at him and tilted my head slightly. "Don't get too comfortable." Ambrose looked at me then walked around on the cushion, rubbing against the right arm of the chair. "I'm still looking for a new home for you."

A doorbell ring went off twice as I turned back to the wall, followed by five knocks. I turned around and walked to the door, and opened it to see Chloe. She wore a tight black dress that ended just above her knees. She wore her hair down and straightened it for her role of Blair. She also wore big, shiny hanging earrings.

"Wow, Blair." I said as soon as I opened the door. "That's some kind of dress.'

"I'm glad you like it." Chloe said. "It's Gucci." Even though it was a designer dress, it was my father's, not a Gucci product.

"I wore it for an editorial in vogue," She said as she walked through the door and passed me, looking around the room. "And they let me keep it... At least they didn't say anything when I took it." She said the last sentence turning around and facing me as I walked up to her.

"What was the ad for?" I asked.

"Toothpaste..." She said. "I think."

"Well, you look amazing in it." I said, taking a couple of steps closer to her. Here it comes...

"Well, amazing is what I was going for." Chloe smiled with a slight smirk. "So, mission accomplished." Time for that kiss...

When she leaned in, I forced myself to lean in too. We shared a quick kiss, and I had to force myself to smile at her as she turned away and walked to the room with all the white paint. When she stopped walking, she looked around and sighed.

"It doesn't look like you've made much progress." She said.

"Well," I said as I walked behind her. "I haven't had a lot of time to work on it." I said as I walked behind her and put a hand on her shoulder with my arm around her.

Chloe had insisted we act more like a couple for the film. I didn't see why not because I'd end up breaking up with her anyway.

"Here." I continued. "Help me pick a color."

"They're white." She said with a scoff as she looked at the shades of white on the wall.

"No." I said as I pointed to each shade individually. "That's eggshell, that's ecru, that one's buttercream, and that one is-"

"They're all white." Chloe interrupted, looking at me with a slight laugh as if I was kidding.

We both looked to see Ambrose walking between us. "What's that?" Chloe asked as we turned around and watched him jump onto that red chair from earlier scenes.

Chloe let out a surprised, yet annoyed breath, and I let out an amused breath, as she looked at me. "You got a cat?"

I smiled a bit and shrugged as I looked at Ambrose, but looked at her when she continued.

"You didn't tell me you got a cat." She looked slightly hurt when she said her line.

"Well, he kind of got me." I said, looking back at Ambrose as he rolled around on the cushion. "Um, I rescued him from a dog, and now he's stuck to me like glue. I've been looking for a family to adopt him."

"Good." Chloe said, looking back at Ambrose with disgust. "Just put him on Craig's List or Petfinder. Get rid of it."

I looked at her with slight confusion. "I'm kinda surprised you don't like cats." I paused as she looked at me. "I thought you'd be more of an animal lover since your father owns a pet supply store."

"A cat's a nuisance." She said, smiling in amusement and shaking her head. "You have to clean up after it, feed it, what if you want to go to Italy for Christmas on a whim? You're going to have to find somebody to look after it."

She paused and looked at me with a serious expression. "It's like having a kid, only worse because it never grows up and moves away."

I looked at her, then back at Ambrose. "He's only here until I find him a new home anyway."

"That's why I like you so much." Chloe said as she smiled and put a hand on my shoulder before starting to rub my upper arm. "Good times, no strings. Now please go get dressed. I made us reservations at Mangiamo."

"Oh, fancy." I said with no excitement as I turned and walked away.

"I want you to meet my friends." Chloe called after me. "I know you'll just love them." She then looked at Ambrose and rolled her eyes with disgust.

"Cut!" Nino said, and I turned around again and walked back into the room with Chloe.

"Good job, Adrikins." Chloe smiled at me and took a step closer. "I bet you're already getting used to kissing me."

I stepped back away from her and forced a smile at her. "I don't know, Chlo." I said. "I need to focus more on being ready for the kiss between Zachary and Marilee. I'm not sure when it is yet."

Chloe looked questioningly at Nino. "Hey, don't look at me." He said as he was putting away the camera with Alix's help. "I don't write the script."

"Right." Chloe said. "Where's that nerd?"

"Alya..." Nino said in a correcting voice. "had to leave early to get an early start on those scripts. She said that she hadn't expected us to finish the scene so early because she made arrangements for us to film at the restaurant tomorrow."

Chloe groaned. "Fine." She sighed. "She needs the extra time anyway. Maybe she'll actually make good scripts if we give her the time she needs."

"Alya is doing just fine in writing our scripts." I said, frowning at her. "But yes, she's said that she needed time to finish all the scripts."

Chloe rolled her eyes slightly. "I still don't see why Blair and Zachary can't just stay together. Marilee really ruins their relationship."

I didn't say anything. I didn't agree with her at all. I knew the relationship between Zachary and Blair would never last long, just like any chance of romance between me and Chloe.

I'm kind of excited to get more filming down. That means filming with Marinette, and less screen time with Chloe. Plus, I'm curious to see how Zachary and Marilee's relationship turns out.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"You wrote eight new scenes since yesterday?" I asked Alya in surprise. "That's impressive!"

"Actually, I wrote a few more." Alya said, shrugging. "I just didn't want to overwhelm anyone with lines."

I stared at her in surprise. "That's amazing, Alya!" I told her. "I'm so proud of you. You're doing a great job with these scenes."

"Thanks." Alya smiled. Suddenly, her and I turned as we heard Chloe squealed happily.

"Yes!" Chloe said. "Marinette's going to be fired in this scene!"

I looked back at Alya with a frown. "So, I really am going to get fired in the film?"

Alya smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, that shouldn't matter. You're the one ending up with Adrien, remember?"

I forced a smile. "Yeah." I didn't believe that it would be true for me to end up with Adrien, but I knew Alya wanted me to feel better.

"Alright." Alya said then looked at the rest of the class. "This restaurant we're going to is Italian. I have made enough reservations for every one of us to eat there. Marinette, Luka, and Kagami will be filmed during that time as well as Chloe and Adrien. Chloe, have you gotten some friends to come and act with you?"

"Of course I have." Chloe said. "Lila and her boyfriend Emilio are coming. They'll be here soon."

Alya smiled and looked at me, Kagami, and Luka. "Are you three ready to start?"

I looked at them and they looked at me. The three of us nodded slowly and smiled at Alya. "Then let's go." Alya said to everyone, and we were off.

When we got there, Alya explained that the restaurant had put up signs warning customers of our filming to make sure that if we caught someone on camera, they would be alright being an extra. That way no one would make a complaint about being caught on screen.

My whole class had sat on the opposite side of the restaurant, so they could be as loud as they wanted to and not disturb the film. Kagami, Luka, and I were waiting for our cue at the front door. Kagami was wearing a nice sleeveless dress with her white coat on her arm and her other arm in Luka's, Luka was wearing a simple black suit and tie, the arm with Kagami's in front of his chest, and I was wearing a light brown dress while wearing that black puffy coat over it.

"Action." Nino said.

"Buonasera, and happy holidays." A kid from another class, Marc, who volunteered to play the waiter, said as we took a few steps into the restaurant. He then pointed at Kagami with a smile. "I saw you on the TV again last night."

"Hello, Ellio. Happy holidays to you, too." Kagami smiled and handed Marc her coat.

"Hi, Ellio." Luka smiled.

I was looking around the restaurant, thinking about how lovely it was when Marc spoke to me. "May I take your, um..." He paused as I looked at him. "Puffy coat?"

"Oh, yeah." I said. I chuckled and mumbled to myself awkwardly as I tried to quickly take the coat off. Marc then took it, making it seem like a coat that was too large for anyone to be wearing as he quickly handed it off to a waitress, then brushed his suit off.

"Right this way please." Marc continued. "For you, we have reserved a beautiful table."

"Cut!" Nino said. "Good job, guys. That was one take. Then again, it was an easy scene."

"Shall we go to our table?" I asked, looking at Kagami and Luka. They both nodded, and we were soon sitting down and ready for the next scene. It was a table for four, Luka and Kagami sitting on one side and me sitting across from Luka.

When Nino called "action" for the seventh time, we picked up our wine glasses, filled with sparkling, non-alcoholic drinks, and we clinked them together before drinking. Seven glasses of this sparkling raspberry lemonade were starting to get to me.

"So," Kagami started as she put her glass back down. "For your birthday gift, I'm taking you on Sunday for a day of pampering."

"Oh, Sunday?" I said. "I can't. Monday's my anatomy final. It's the last final of the semester. It's worth sixty percent of my grade. So I-I gotta-"

"So bring your books." Kagami interrupted, smiling at me. "You never do anything for yourself. We're going. End of story."

I looked down briefly as she paused, but looked back up when she continued. "Now catch us up.

"Everything's really good." I smiled. "Yes, uh, school's great, work's great..."

"I can't believe I'm going to be calling you Doctor White soon." Kagami said, smiling at me as she shook her head slightly then sighed heavily, still smiling. "Mom and Dad would be so proud."

Kagami and I each smiled sadly and looked down at the table. We hadn't gotten our food yet, deciding we better get through this scene first.

"Are you getting out at all?" Luka said, looking at me and breaking the brief silence and causing me to look at him. "Uh, H-Have you met someone?"

"Oh, uh..." I said, shaking my head as I looked down again. "No, I really, I don't really have time. After I graduate and-"

"Marilee still has this silly rule," Kagami interrupted, looking at Luka before looking at me. "No love life till she graduates and starts her practice."

"It's not a silly rule." I said seriously. "I just want to finish what I've started." I paused briefly and slightly nodded. "I can't afford any distractions right now."

Luka gave me a nod and looked at Kagami who returned his gaze with a smile. I looked at Kagami and shook my head slightly. "No." I said, pointing at her.

"Kyle has this friend, Brad." Kagami smiled. "He's a dentist, he's really handsome. You don't have to marry him, but just go on one date and see what happens."

I looked away with a slightly annoyed expression, then looked back at her. "Do you remember what happened the last time you set me up on a date with one of Kyle's friends?"

"That was not our fault." Kagami said defensively though she still smiled at me. "How were we supposed to know he was married? He wasn't wearing a ring!"

"You ask." I said as if it were obvious, because honestly it was.

"Well," Kagami shrugged it off. "Brad is not married."

"He's never even had a serious girlfriend." Luka put in.

"Why?" I asked with a slight look of disgust. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." Kagami answered quickly. "We could double date. We just want you to be as happy as we are. I'm calling Brad tomorrow morning." As she said the last sentence, I looked up to see Adrien walk through the door just behind Chloe.

"Actually," I said, before looking back at Kagami. "I'm seeing someone."

"What?!" Kagami asked excitedly.

"He's a- he's a firefighter." I nodded with a smile. "Yeah, he saved the life of this woman who works in my market. Her... Her oven... Exploded. It was just..." I paused to make an exploding sound and gesture with my hands. "Uh, it was just..." I looked away awkwardly because of the lie my character was saying.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kagami asked. She had been smiling and grinning happily at me the whole time.

"Because... of this." I said. "You guys get so excited. I didn't, uh... We just started dating, okay? I don't even know if... if it's going to work out."

"It's great news." Luka smiled.

"We have to meet him." Kagami nodded.

"No!" I said quickly, then looked down as I tried to cover for myself. "Yeah. Not yet. Not yet."

"When?" Kagami seemed to ask impatiently.

"Soon." I said. "He's just... he's... uh... he's really busy... you know... with fires and stuff."

"Tell us everything, leave nothing out, speak slowly." Kagami told me then turned to look at Marc walking nearby. "Ellio, we need more champagne!"

"And that's scene." Nino said. "Took seven takes, but we got through it. Now, it's time to film Adrien, Chloe, and her friends. They arrived during the fourth take."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

After we finished filming the next two scenes, the class gathered around at Marinette's house to watch it. She didn't live too far from the restaurant, so it would be easy to go back and film the next scene. Nino started scene fifteen showing Chloe, Lila, Emilio, and I gathered around a booth. Lila was the only one sitting down.

"Craig's in the stock market," Lila said. "And he made a bundle last year."

"I manage a private hedge fund." Emilio explained. "Blair tells us you're a fireman. Must be fun."

"Yeah, it's a blast." I said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I admire you." Lila said. "I want you to know that."

I chuckled awkwardly. "Thank you."

"Zachary buys and restores homes, too." Chloe said, almost as if it made up for my character being a fireman as she rubbed my arm slightly. "He's in real estate."

"Oh, how exciting." Lila smiled, seeming more interested than she had before.

"A man of hidden talents." Emilio put in.

"Yeah," I forced myself to smile. "I'm not at all what I seem."

The scene changed quickly from me to showing Kagami smiling.

"You know what," She said. "Kyle and I are invited to this big Christmas party, on December 23rd, at the mayor's house."

"Yeah, it's a fundraiser for the children's hospital and..." Luka said with a smile. "We just happen to have four tickets."

"You two will come with us." Kagami said, pointing at Marinette with her elbow on the table.

"That's more than two weeks away." Marinette said. "I don't even know if we're still going to be dating. I mean, it's so early in our-"

"What's his name?" Kagami interrupted, and Luka nodded at me as if he were curious too.

"His name..." Marinette said, looking at Kagami and Luka then looking away as she tried to come up with something. "Is, um..." Kagami and Luka raised their eyebrows at her as she paused.

"I-I-I call him..." Marinette paused as she looked at Kagami. "Green Eyes." She paused again as she, Kagami, and Luka chuckled. "Just a silly little nickname that we have for each other, and, uh... He calls me, um..." She paused again and tapped her fingers on the table nervously. "Marilee."

Marinette chuckled nervously, then the scene ended. The class laughed a bit and started talking to each other about the scenes. I looked to my right to see Marinette and Alya. Alya was grinning and gently shook Marinette's shoulder as she laughed. I smiled and decided to join them in hopes of not having to talk with Chloe.

"You looked so awkward out there!" I heard Alya tell Marinette from a distance.

"I felt so awkward out there!" Marinette laughed. "I mean, pretending that I was dating him? Really? You had to go and write that in?"

"Yes, I did." Alya nodded. "And it payed off. I knew you wouldn't have much trouble with filming that scene."

"I didn't have to act that much." Marinette shrugged. "All I had to do was remember what to say. It wasn't that hard."

"And that's exactly why I have created Marilee White to be just like you." Alya said. I was just about to say something when I felt something on my arm. I looked down to see Chloe holding my arm and turning me away from the girls.

"Adrikins, you did amazing!" Chloe said. "It must have been really hard to act annoyed with my friends and I when we filmed."

"Actually..." I said, looking over my shoulder and looking at Marinette and Alya a last time before I lost sight of them in the rest of my classmates. "It was really hard." I lied to avoid hurting her feelings.

"How dare Alya make you annoyed with me?!" Chloe said, getting upset. "I'm an absolute delight!"

"You sure are." I said. I guess it was more sarcastic than I meant it to be because Chloe looked at me in surprise, then frowned.

"See what I mean?" Chloe sent a glare in Alya's direction. "She's already changing you. You aren't the same as you were before you had to start filming with Marinette."

She said Marinette's name with disgust, but I ignored it. I couldn't help but look but agree and follow her gaze. I caught a glimpse of Marinette between two classmates. I could no longer hear what she or Alya were saying, but it looked as if she were laughing.

"Yeah..." I agreed with Chloe at last. "I'm not the same as I was before."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I turned to face him with a smile as he looked up at me. Blue met green and I froze. My cheeks heated up, but I couldn't look away.

"Marinette...?" Adrien muttered to me with a slight laugh. "That was your cue."

"What?" My eyes widened and I blushed a bit in embarrassment. Why do his eyes have to be so green and beautiful...? "It was? I'm sorry!"

"It's alright." Nino said, cutting the tape and preparing to start the recording over again. "We weren't very far into it at all. Just... Don't get distracted."

I turned back forward away from Adrien as he stood up and walked back into the restaurant and stood behind the doors that led out to the outside area. I took in a deep breath as Nino started filming again. I can do this...

I waited until my cue. A few seconds later, during which Adrien walked outside, sighed quietly, looked around, sat down on a bench, and sighed a little louder, I then looked over my shoulder and saw him leaning over himself, his arm propping his head up with his elbow on his leg.

I smiled a bit then turned back away from him. "Hi." I said, then turned to face him as he looked up from the ground at me. This is where I messed up last time.

"Hi." He said and smiled. I let out a soft chuckle as I turned to better face him from my own bench. "The, uh... From the grocery store."

"Yeah." I nodded and chuckled awkwardly. "How's Ambrose?"

Adrien chuckled softly. "You remembered his name?"

"Of course." I said as if it were obvious. "Have you found him a home yet?

"No." He said. "No, not yet." He paused then looked at me with a serious, yet amused expression. "Who are you hiding from?"

"Oh, I'm not hiding." I said defensively, looking away. When I looked back at him, I couldn't help but stutter. "I-I'm just getting some fresh air." Gosh, why does he have to be so... him?

"Now, what does it say about the people we're with if we have to escape them to catch our breath?" He asked with a slight smile at me.

"That you love them too much?" I asked then nodded slightly.

"Or too little." He added.

I gave him a slight nod. "I'm here with my sister and her husband." I continued. "I love them a lot, but she's a little overprotective."

"I'm here with a date and her friends." He said, gesturing with his thumb behind him to the restaurant doors.

"Oh, you have a girlfriend?" I asked, trying not to let my disappointment show. I knew it was only for the film, but I didn't like saying the words to Adrien.

"Well," He said, shrugging slightly as he thought. "Girlfriend implies a possible future. She's someone I'm dating."

As he said the last sentence, he stood from his bench and walked over to sit at the bench across from me, so we could talk better. "I don't really believe in the whole happily-ever-after, fairy-tale ending thing."

"Well, I believe in true love." I said, shrugging slightly.

"Are you married?" He asked.

"No." I said in slight amusement. "No, I'm focused on my education right now. I'll think about dating after I graduate and get a job."

"Well, what if you meet him before then?" He asked, seeming genuinely curious.

"You can't find what you're not looking for." I answered.

"That's true." He said with a slight chuckle.

"You know what I just learned?" I asked and smiled at him with slight amusement. "Mountain lions actually take a leap of faith in love."

"They do?" He asked as if he didn't believe me.

"Yeah." I nodded. "When a male finds a female that he's attracted to, he jumps in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, and then he climbs to the highest peak he can find, and starts yowling and professing his love for her."

"Wow." Adrien said, as if I really knew all that and he were impressed that I did know so much.

"Yeah." I smiled at him, and looking back now, I can't believe I was able to smile at him for the scene without freaking out. "If she joins him at the top of the mountain, they'll be together for life. It's... very romantic."

"How do they know who to choose?" He asked.

"Instinct." I answered simply.

"What if I don't trust instinct?" He continued to question. "What if I need a guarantee?"

"I-I don't think love has any guarantees." I said as I thought about the answer I gave him. "I think you just have to have faith, and believe it'll last."

Adrien sat there for a moment as if he were thinking about my answer too. "Well, I should probably get back to my date and her pretentious friends." He finally said.

"Yeah." I nodded in agreement.

"Wish me luck." He said jokingly as he stood up.

"Good luck." I said with a slight smile as he walked away. "Bye, Green Eyes."

I turned to look at him and noticed that he had paused by the door. He was looking at me with a curious and amused expression. "I just said that out loud, didn't I?"

"You kind of did." He said with an amused smile, then walked inside the restaurant.

I turned back around so I was facing forward and made a face that clearly showed my, or Marilee's, embarrassment. "Could I be anymore embarrassed?" I muttered to myself as I put my hands to my head as if to shield my face from the imaginary people around me.

I slowly turned around again when I heard singing, and realized it was Marc, Kagami, and Luka. Marc was holding a small cake with white frosting and two lit candles, and Kagami and Luka were each holding a sparkling candle in each hand. They were singing For She's a Jolly Good Fellow in Italian, moving their arms to match the rhythm.

I sighed deeply and looked down before shaking my head in amusement before looking up at the three again and giving them a slight smile of amusement.

"And that's scene." Nino said after a few more seconds of not doing anything. "Good job, Marinette." He flicked his eyes upwards and continued, "And Adrien." As Adrien came back in. "You two are doing great with your scenes."

"It almost seems to come naturally." Adrien smiled and looked at me. "Don't you think?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it does."

As I looked at him, I suddenly thought back to my, or rather Marilee's, answer to his, or Zachary's, question. I sighed softly as I looked at him, silently wishing that what was happening between our characters was really what was happening to him and I in reality.

I was snapped back to reality as Alya said, "Let's go and film the next scene. It's really short. Then we'll meet tomorrow after school to continue with the next few scenes."

Everyone agreed, and we made our way back to the mayor's hotel to film in Marilee's room. I was walking by myself, lost in thoughts, before jumping slightly and looking to my right. Adrien had started walking by my side without me realizing it.

"Nino's right, you know." He said with a smile. "You're doing a great job as Marilee."

I felt my blush come on and smiled back at him. "It's not all me, you know." I said. "You're doing great as Zachary. The role really fits you."

"You think so?" He asked with a hopeful smile. "I was hoping that I would be able to fit into the role easily. That way Alya wouldn't get too upset with me for not playing Marilee's love interest well enough."

I couldn't help but laugh a bit. "You're worried about that?" I asked in amusement. "You have nothing to worry about, trust me."

"Why do you say that?" He asked curiously.

"I..." I trailed off in embarrassment as I realized that I was referring to the way that I saw him. Adrien is MY love interest, and if Alya really did base our characters off of our personalities, it wouldn't be too hard for him to act as my love interest in film because he already is.

I was just about to continue stuttering and searching for an answer that wouldn't give away my undying love for him, when Alya spoke up. "Now that we're here at the hotel, same rules apply." I sighed in relief and smiled at her thankfully. She gave me a questioning look, but continued to speak. "Only Nino, Marinette, Kagami, and I go in. It limits distractions. Any questions?"

No one said anything, so we went in. I got Queenie again and settled onto the floor where I was supposed to hold Queenie, and tell her about my, or Marilee's, night out.

"Action." Alya spoke for Nino after they exchanged a nod.

I took in a quiet deep breath and let it out slowly before starting. "I saw Green Eyes today." I smiled as I stroked Queenie under her chin. "Yeah..." I added as I looked away from the cat and straight out in front of me.

"We talked for a long time." I continued then waited, looking at Queenie for her added meow before softly clicking my tongue and looked away from her again. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not even interested."

"Even if I was, he has a girlfriend, or rather somebody that he's dating." I scoffed. "He doesn't believe in love."

I paused for a few seconds during which Nino would insert a sound clip to make Queenie sound like she was purring. "No..." I said quietly then held the cat closer to me and pressed my cheek against hers. "It's just you and me..."

I hummed slightly as if asking her if she agreed as I pulled my face away and stared at no particular spot just above Nino's camera. "And that's all I need for Christmas." I looked down at the cat again with a smile. "Yeah."

Even as I said these lines, I couldn't help but think about what I wanted for Christmas. Sure, Christmas would be nice with my friends. It always is. But... let's just say that if I could have Adrien for Christmas, as MORE than a friend, I wouldn't be complaining.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I was lying in bed with my arm over my stomach, pretending to sleep. Ambrose was curled up on top of the covers. I opened my eyes as if waking up suddenly and looked over at my phone that had been ringing for the past few seconds, then reached over and picked it up.

I propped myself up on an arm as I looked at the screen.

**_Chloe._**

I raised my phone to my ear and answered in a quiet voice, making myself sound as if I had just woken up.

"Hey Blair."

"Good morning." Chloe responded as she looked into her mirror, a woman pretending to work at the designer clothes she was wearing. "Did I wake you?"

At the moment she was in one of the dressing rooms that my father has for some of his models. Nino was here at Marinette's house filming me, while Alya had gone with a few others to film Chloe. Later we would edit the film so Chloe and I would both be shown as we said our lines.

"No." I responded. "I slept in. My shift doesn't start till this afternoon."

After a moment's hesitation, in which Nino will later insert a meow for Ambrose, Chloe asks, "Is that the cat I hear? You're not letting him sleep in your bed, are you?"

As she asked the second question, I looked down at Ambrose. "Absolutely not." I answer, then after a second I add, "Sometimes." Then finally, "Yes."

Chloe rolled her eyes before responding. "Zachary, that is just too much!" She said as she fixed her hair, using her reflection. "You know what? Tomorrow we're going to take it to my father's pet supply store to find someone to adopt it. It's either that, or it goes to the shelter."

I looked at Ambrose again after I had narrowed my eyes slightly at her suggestion. "Well, he's pretty easy to take care of." I said. "I... pretty much just feed him."

"What if we want to go to Mount Everest on a whim, or go sky diving, or parasailing." She said, and I raised my eyebrows slightly in response as she talked. "Who are we going to find to watch it?"

"You want to do those things?" I asked.

Chloe made an amused look of disgust. "No." She answered as if he were insane for thinking she might want to. "I don't have a death wish." She turned around and looked at some of the models behind her. "I'm just saying do we really want to be tied down?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but was interrupted as Nino called for the end of the scene. Chloe immediately started to talk all about how she should be a model in reality, and found many different ways to ask me why my father hasn't offered her a job yet.

"Adrien! We could be models together!" She was saying, and by now she was talking rather quickly. "We could do those couple photos and- Oh! We'd look so great together!"

"Yeah, uh, that would be great Chlo." I responded, cutting her off before she could go on. "I'm going to talk to Nino about upcoming scenes, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

We ended the call not too long after and all I did was stare at the phone.

"What do you need dude?" Nino asked as he was packing his camera away. "I heard you tell Chloe you were going to talk to me about some scenes?"

"Oh, um." I said kind of awkwardly. "I don't really need to talk about that."

"I didn't think so." Nino chuckled. "I mean, you play Zachary so well! I mean, we didn't have to make another take! Chloe makes a great Blair, too, so that helped."

"She does play a pretty good Blair." I agreed. I couldn't stop thinking about how I had almost responded to her last line. Not that I knew what I was going to say, but just the fact that I was really getting into the conversation. It was almost as if I forgot Chloe and I were acting...

"Nino, why did Alya write Blair as she did?" I asked.

"Alya meant the character for Chloe." Nino responded. "She's created each character for the person who best fits the role. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." I tried to say, but I could tell by the look Nino was giving me, he was not convinced. "Fine. It's just... I sort of thought it was Chloe I was talking to instead of her character... as if she wasn't really acting."

Nino's expression changed to one that showed sympathy. "That's because it's not hard for Chloe to act as Blair." He said. "I know she's your friend and everything, but-"

"Blair is just another version of Chloe..." I finished, and looked at Nino. "Yeah. I'm starting to see that now."

"Sorry." Nino repeated, and I could tell he was really sorry about my disappointment.

"Thanks, but it's okay, really." I said, and really, it was. I guess it was about time for me to see Chloe as she really is. Someone who cares only about herself, and maybe a select few. I just don't know how or why it took me so long to realize that.

But, with all that being said, I think about how well Alya had written Blair to be another Chloe. My mind wanders to some of the other characters. Rose, who plays Marilee's friend, is a hopeless romantic. Marinette can be just as awkward as Marilee is at times. And me... what about me?

Sure, Blair is into Zachary like Chloe is into me, but there's got to be more to me being Zachary, right? It's not just that Zachary is the leading male role, and everyone expected me to play that part. There's got to be more to Alya's creation than that... Right? But what is it?


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I knew this would be an easy scene, knowing there was no Adrien around to distract me. Just Rose and I filming a scene, and even though I stood with her, each of us holding a cup of coffee, I couldn't help but feel excited.

And then our cue came when we heard Nino say, "Action!" From around the corner.

Rose and I started walking, turning the corner to walk through a doorway into the room where Nino had been waiting to film us.

"I told my sister and brother-in-law that I would bring him to a holiday Christmas party on the 23rd so they could meet him!" I said, emphasizing the last couple words to show I was 'distressed' over the situation Marilee was in.

Rose was quiet for a second as she walked next to a table on the other side than I did. "That's not a problem." She said as she looked at me. "We have… two weeks…" She paused slightly as we each set our coffees down on the table and sat across from each other. "To find you a date who has green eyes."

We looked at each other and I pouted slightly to show that I, or rather Marilee, wasn't liking the situation at all.

"I'll make you a profile on Just Dessert." Rose said with a satisfied smile as she looked at the yellow laptop that had been open on the tabletop.

"No, I could never do that." I argued, pointing at her before biting at my fingernail and looking away nervously.

"Do you want to get your sister off your back?" Rose asked and I looked at her as an answer. "Then sign up, go to a Just Dessert gathering, find a date for your sister's party, then shut down the profile."

"I don't know…" I answered, looking away again.

"Do you want to die old, alone, and in a houseboat surrounded by cats, and dogs, and shattered dreams?" Rose asked me seriously. When I looked at her with an alarmed expression, her expression changed to an apologetic one. "I'm sorry, that's what my mother says to me."

I was still looking at her with alarm and concern as she let out a breath and looked down as she used the laptop. "Anyway…" She muttered as she sat up straighter in her chair. "Name? Marilee White. Age? 26—"

"I'm 29." I interrupted with a skeptical look.

"Same thing." Rose dismissed. "Work?"

"That's a student." I said, my exasperation with this profile setup obvious. "And a pet supply store employee."

"Veterinarian." Rose said as she typed. "Loves animals, red wine, and long walks on the beach."

"I like white wine." I said impatiently.

"What are you looking for in a man?" Rose asked, clearly ignoring my dislike of setting up this profile.

I made a face at her and took in a long breath before I answered. This really reminded me of some of the things Alya's done with me concerning Adrien. "A nice guy who likes animals. And understands that I just want a date to a party."

Even though I gave her a look, Rose said, "Looking for a professional man," I rolled my eyes. "Who loves animals, is handsome, athletic, sexy, and has green eyes."

"Don't write that." I said, threatening her by pointing a finger at her, but she ignored it as she picked up her phone, held it up, and snapped a picture of me, then put the phone down again. "What did you just do?"

"You'll thank me when you're happily married to a sexy lawyer and you have three children and a house full of animals." Rose said smugly before looking at the laptop again.

I made an unintelligible noise in response as I covered my face with my hands. I heard a few clicks, a few dings, then uncovered my face when I heard Rose say, "Wow." And responded with "What?"

"You already have three happy cupcakes!" Rose said in surprise and excitement. I only made a face of confusion.

"Huh?"

"That means that there are three guys that want to meet you!" Rose said excitedly. "You have to go to the next party. It's… a holiday mixer this Friday at a members house, I'll text you the address, promise me you'll go?"

I had been shaking my head at her as she spoke, but when Rose used that pleading tone, I looked at her with slight annoyance. "Promise?" She asked again with a whining tone.

I hesitated before rolling my eyes. "Fine." I said in defeat, and Nino ended the scene just after.

"That was so much fun, Marinette!" Rose squealed as she stood, hurried around the table and gave me a hug. "I can't wait for our next scene together!"

"Me neither." I said with a smile and watched Rose hurry off, probably to go find Juleka.

I looked behind me when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Hey, Alya." I said with a smile.

"You're doing amazing, girl." Alya told me with an excited grin, and I knew she was happy about more than just my acting.

"Well, you created Marilee based on me." I pointed out. "But what's up?"

"I have the next six scenes finished!" Alya said happily before handing me a rather thick packet with said scenes. It was the first time I noticed the large pile of papers in her arms, and I knew it was the newly finished scripts to hand out to everyone else.

"That makes… is it nine..?" I asked curiously as I flipped over the pages in the packet, glancing over the script.

"Eleven scenes ready to be filmed." Alya said proudly. "Out of about forty more."

"Forty?" I questioned with surprise as I looked up from the paper to glance at her before I looked back down at the script and flipped to the last scene.

"Forty." Alya confirmed. "Give or take, of course. The point is this movie will be amazing."

"You can say that again." I said with a grin that only grew the more I read over the script. "Adrien's breaking up with Chloe in scene 31?"

"Well…" Alya drew the word out but when I saw her grin, I only felt more excited. "Zachary breaks up with Blair, but yes. That leaves Zachary, Adrien, free to become more interested in Marilee, you."

"You make it sound as if it could actually happen outside of script." I said with a disbelieving tone and blushed, though inwardly I felt excited by the thought.

"You never know!" Alya said happily before she turned away to hand out the packets to the others. I sighed with content as I flipped the packet back to the first page to start reading through the script, though I knew I still had to go over the others again at home.

I knew it was unlikely for Adrien to actually fall for me like his character was supposed to do for mine in the movie, but the thought was very nice, and I didn't want to give up all hope just yet.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

Other than acting, my favorite part of this movie project was watching Nino's recent work of the filmed scenes with the rest of the class. He had just told us he finished putting together the last few scenes we filmed, and we all decided to watch them before we filmed Marinette's next scene.

The soundtrack Nino put in the background played just before I saw the fire station door open, revealing an engine outside (Nino had already been inside to film) momentarily until I walked through the door with Ambrose in my arms, Ivan following me.

"Morning." He said with a smile.

I glanced over my shoulder and replied with, "Hey."

Ivan walked at a faster pace than me, quickly reaching my left side as he repeated my, "hey" though he held it out longer before petting the cat. "I'm glad to see you're still around."

"Yeah…" I said, looking down at Ambrose as Ivan scratched his cheek with a finger. "Not for much longer. I'm taking him to get adopted tomorrow."

"Oh, that's a shame." Ivan replied with a disappointed tone, lowering his hand to his side as we walked next to each other.

I looked up at Ivan and smiled sadly. "It is actually. I really kind of like the little guy."

I looked down and smiled at Ambrose as I pet his side as Ivan looked at me. "Why don't you just keep him then?"

I let out a small sigh as I looked up from the cat and Ivan and I both looked forward. "Blair isn't too fond of him."

Ivan looked at me again when I answered and made an _I-should-have-guessed_ look. "Blair, huh?" He paused as he looked around then looked at me again before he pet Ambrose behind the ear. "Well, you do what you want, but me, I don't trust a woman who doesn't like cats."

I hummed quietly in acknowledgment as Ivan walked away, and I turned my direction away from Ambrose and looked down slightly with a small smile as if I had some idea.

The scene cut to show Chloe and I, Ambrose in my arms, outside of "Zachary's house" walking to that blue truck that we were using as Zachary's.

"So put him in the back of the truck." Chloe told me, using a tone that would normally tell someone not to argue with her.

"No." I said as I stopped walking and looked at the truck as she continued towards it, though I continued walking after a second and looked at Chloe again. "I would never do that. He can ride in the front with us."

Chloe turned and looked at me with a look of disbelief, but I ignored it. "But you have to hold him, please."

"Hold him?" She echoed as if the thought completely disgusted her and she thought I was kidding. "Me?"

"Yeah." I answered as if it were no big deal, which it wasn't, and opened the passenger door of the truck for her. "To make sure he's safe. He's not really used to the cat carrier."

Chloe gave me a half-amused smile as if she was still hoping I was joking, then looked at Ambrose. "I'm beginning to think you don't want to get rid of that cat."

"He deserves a better owner than me." I replied as I pet Ambrose's back then handed him to her. "Someone who's around more and can hang out with him."

There was a meow as Chloe's disgusted face was shown while she held the cat away from her. "My father will find him a new home." She said as she reluctantly held the cat closer to her and looked down at him. "I am really glad we're doing this." I watched with a small sad smile as she got into the truck and I closed the door for her.

The scene changed again to show the inside of the mayor's hotel that hand been transformed into the pet supply store once again. Marinette was checking something on a shelf, a clipboard and pencil in hand. Alya was near her, seeming to have just put something on the shelf, though she took a step back and walked towards Marinette slowly with an annoyed expression as she looked at something past Marinette.

"Look what the cat dragged in for you on your birthday." Alya said bitterly as she crossed her arms. Marinette turned to look in the same direction, a look of curiosity and surprise on her face. "The Blair-witch project."

The camera switched angles and showed a very annoyed looking Chloe holding Ambrose away from her by his middle while walking through the front of the "store". She turned several times as if she were looking for something.

"Oh no, what is she doing here?" A worried Marinette voiced over the view of Chloe. "She never comes here."

The camera switched back to the other two girls after showing Chloe looking in their direction. Marinette looked very uncomfortable and Alya looked smug with her, "Maybe she needs to be declawed" comment.

Marinette struggled to smile in amusement while still looking uneasy as she handed the clipboard and pencil to Alya. Alya turned and walked away while looking at the clipboard as Chloe approached Marinette with quick steps.

"You work here, right?" Chloe asked as she held Ambrose towards Marinette, an uncomfortable look on her face as well.

"Yes, Blair, I've worked here for three years." Marinette responded with a small, awkward smile. "You think my name is Lynn."

"I remember." Chloe said before pulling a disgusted face as she handed the cat over to Marinette, shaking her hands as if trying to get any leftover cat hair off of her. "You have to help me get rid of this cat."

"Oh, what a sweet cat. Hi…" Marinette cooed to him quietly as she carefully held him in her arms before trailing off to look at his collar. "Ambrose." She said with a tone of recognition.

"You know its name?" Chloe asked with an annoyed tone.

Marinette looked from Ambrose to Chloe with a surprised look and hesitated before answering. "It says it right here on his collar."

Marinette looked lost in thought for a moment before the camera switched to Chloe's angle again and I could see myself walking through the door in the background. "It belongs to my boyfriend. We have to get rid of it right away."

The camera switched again to show Marinette's surprised and nervous expression at seeing me over Chloe's shoulder, and she moved to the side slightly as if to look at me better.

"You take it!" Chloe said, and the camera showed her shocked face as if surprised with herself for coming up with a great idea, though she was blurred as the camera focused on me in the background looking at something on a rack. Chloe gasped and smiled. "Actually, if you do, I'll have my father give you all the cat food and kitty litter you'll ever need."

Marinette's face was shown for a couple seconds as Chloe spoke, showing that she was clearly not listening to a thing she said as she focused on me. Wow, she really is good at acting as if I'm the only other person in the room and I have all her attention.

"Umm." Was all she got out as Chloe quickly walked around her, and Marinette turned with the camera angle to see her greet the mayor himself, wearing a Santa hat.

"Hi Daddy!" She said happily, and he replied with "Hi, sweetie" as they exchanged a hug.

"Sorry, are you following me?" I heard myself say as the camera switched angles once again to show me approaching Marinette again. Marinette froze for a second before letting out an awkward breath as I came to a stop in front of her, grinning.

"Actually…" She broke off with an awkward chuckle. "I work here. So… technically you're following me."

"So how's school?" I asked with an interested smile.

"Umm… I-It's- err…" Marinette said awkwardly as she looked down for a moment before she looked up at me again. "Finals now… So… Really busy… Studying… You know."

"It's all settled." Chloe's voice was heard in the background, and I visibly swallowed and looked down, as if bracing myself to deal with her again. "Lynn is going to take the cat."

Marinette and I were now both facing Chloe, a look of surprise on Marinette's face and a small smile on mine.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Marinette said with an apologetic expression as I turned my head to look at her, now standing next to her. "I-I can't. My apartment building doesn't take cats."

Chloe shook her head with annoyance. "Fine." She said as she let out a sigh. "We'll give it to a shelter." She shrugged unapologetically.

"No." Marinette and I both said at the same time with panicked expressions on both of our faces. Chloe looked exasperated for a second before the camera showed Ambrose pawing in Chloe's direction with a playful sounding meow.

"Did you just see that?" Chloe asked with a hurt expression. "It has to go! It's dangerous!"

"He was just playing." Marinette said as the two of us smiled at Chloe with amusement.

"He wasn't trying to hurt you, Blair." I added as I looked at the cat, Marinette looking at me and chuckling slightly in agreement.

"You call that vicious swipe it just took at me 'playful'?" She asked with an annoyed look.

Marinette and I were still smiling at her in amusement. "It wasn't a 'vicious swipe', it was a playful gesture." Marinette said in a tone as if she were educating Chloe.

"Excuse me." Chloe said sarcastically as she crossed her arms at Marinette mockingly. "What do you think you are, a cat-whisperer?"

"Cats are like people." Marinette said, losing her amused smile completely. "They can sense when they're not wanted."

Chloe kept her smug appearance as she looked from Marinette to me. "We're leaving." She then walked forward, pushing herself between Marinette and I, calling for her "Daddy" with a whiny tone.

"Oh." I said as we turned, standing next to each other again, and watched Chloe approach the mayor. "I guess we're leaving."

"Sorry, I didn't know she was so…" Marinette apologized, though she was trying to find the right word.

"Psychotic?" I offered.

"Sensitive." Marinette corrected before we looked at each other, sharing an amused smile, before quickly looking away again and towards Chloe.

"She'll be alright." I said, and we watched as the mayor look disappointed before turning and walking away from Chloe. She had her hands on her hips, sending Marinette and I a smug smile. "Let's go!" She called over to me in a sweet tone as if what happened a few seconds ago hadn't happened.

"Right, well…" I said as I took a step away from Marinette in Chloe's direction but turned and held my arms open to her.

"Oh, yeah…" Marinette said as she handed Ambrose over to me.

"Thank you." I said to her quietly as I held the cat against my chest. "Oh, by the way, my name is Zachary. In case you continue to stalk me."

"Well, err…" Marinette said awkwardly. "Marilee. In case _you_ continue to stalk _me_."

I let out a breath of amusement and she chuckled nervously to herself before I turned, muttering "Come on, Buddy, let's go" to Ambrose, leaving an awkward Marinette behind as I walked to Chloe.

Alya was shown behind Marinette with the clipboard and pencil, looking over before she walked over slowly, shaking her head with a disgusted look towards Chloe. The camera showed me walking with Chloe to the excite, Chloe moving an arm behind my lower waist before turning and giving the two girls a look over her shoulder.

"That woman is such a—"

"Marilee."

They looked over to see that it had been the mayor to cut Alya off, and he looked as though he had bad news as he took his Santa hat off of his head. "Can you come to the office?"

He gave Marinette a smile though before he turned and walked off, leaving Alya and Marinette with excited expressions. "Called into the boss's office." Alya commented. "Do you think he knows it's your birthday?"

"Well, I got a raise last year on my birthday so…" Marinette said before they looked at each other with grins. Marinette clicked her tongue and crossed her fingers, and Alya did the same with a wink as Marinette walked off.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I watched myself walk down a small hallway very slowly, looking down slightly. I looked very sad and confused as I slowly shook my head to myself in disbelief. I continued walking until I entered a room with boxes stacked high, and soon Alya was shown behind me with a bright grin, holding a small cake with a single candle on it burning.

"Feliz cumpleaños!" She said happily as she held out the cake to me. I turned around to face her, and her smile vanished as she saw that I wasn't happy. "What's wrong?"

I let out a soft breath, obviously trying to hold back my emotions and keep myself from crying as I answered. "I just… uh…" I trailed off before I finally said it with a disbelieving tone. "I just got fired."

"What?" Alya asked as she took a couple steps closer to me, looking very concerned. "Why?"

I forced a smile for a second, but it quickly vanished. When I spoke, my voice shook. "Blair told her father that I was…" I looked away from Alya briefly then looked at her again. "rude to her."

"But—" Alya sputtered blinking quickly as she tried to think of a logical explanation. "She's obnoxious. Everyone's rude to her."

"Well, I think he's scared of her." I said with small nods. Alya grimaced but didn't argue. I shook my head, rolled my eyes, and sighed heavily. "What does Zachary see in her..?"

Alya frowned and put a hand to her chest, a gesture that told me she was sorry for what I was going through. I looked down again and slowly walked around a table before I took off the red apron, folded it, and sat down in a chair at the table with the apron on my lap. Alya slowly sat in the chair across from me.

I knew that as I had been filming the scene with Alya and Nino, it was hard not to think of Chloe really stealing Adrien away like that because it was very scary to think about this movie becoming a sort of reality. I know Adrien sometimes seems to be blind to the way Chloe treats everyone else, much like how Zachary is blind to Blair's behavior towards others.

"Ha!" I was taken out of my thoughts and turned my head to see Chloe with a very smug smile. "You got what you deserved, Dupain-Cheng!"

My eyes narrowed at her and I opened my mouth to say something, but someone else beat me to it. I turned quickly to see who spoke, and as I did I noticed Alya looking rather confused herself, her mouth also open slightly as if she was going to say something as well. But my eyes landed on someone behind Alya who was speaking, and my eyes widened slightly with surprise.

"Chloe! It was only for the movie to show what kind of a person Blair is! Marinette wasn't the one fired, Marilee was, and even then she didn't deserve it!"

Everyone went quiet as we all turned and looked at Adrien who seemed to only see Chloe in the room with him through narrowed eyes. We were all shocked by his outburst, especially Chloe.

"But, Adrikins!" Chloe protested, crossing her arms stubbornly. "She is so below us!"

"No, she is not, Chloe." Adrien said in more of a growl. "Just like your character, Blair, is not above Marilee. You'll learn that when Zachary breaks up with her."

"What?!" Chloe demanded angrily, standing up from her seat and immediately glaring at Alya. "Why is Adrien going to break up with me, of all people?"

"Because you're a brat…" I heard Alya mutter under her breath with an eye roll as Adrien answered for her, and I was too surprised by Adrien to feel amused by Alya.

"Chloe, you can't expect Zachary and Blair to stay together much longer when she's treating Marilee the way she is." He said. "Or because of the fact that Zachary and Marilee will be together by the end of the movie. It has to happen sometime."

"But—" Chloe tried to argue but quickly cut herself off, obviously so angry she didn't have words. "You will not be kissing her!"

Adrien looked taken aback for a second before he crossed his arms. "I've already had to kiss you." He said. "Come on, Chloe. If you really try to ruin this film, it won't do any of us any good. It's too late to try to create a new story, and I'm not going to let you demand that Alya changes anymore of her scenes."

"Adrien—" Chloe started in a pleading voice, but Adrien cut her off, sounding stern and quite stubborn.

"No." He said. "Not this time, Chloe. If you try stopping this film over this little breakup between our characters, we will all most likely fail this semester final, including you and I."

"But—"

"I won't stand for it if you talk to your father about it." Adrien said instantly, apparently knowing exactly what she was going to say. "If he somehow keeps your grade from dropping, I will be sure that _my_ father cuts ties with _yours_."

When Chloe looked at him unconvinced that his threat meant anything he continued. "You do realize that a big number of your father's supporters as mayor came because he had my father's support?" Adrien asked, causing Chloe to have a slight panicked look. "If your father loses these supporters and their votes, it will be much harder for him to stay mayor at the next election, I can promise you that."

"Adrien, you wouldn't—"

"Try me." Adrien said, and with a final glare, turned away from Chloe and looked my way with a smile as if he hadn't just threatened his oldest childhood friend.

I looked at him with awe. He was defending everyone against the kind of stunts Chloe pulled to always get her way, and it seemed for once that finally she was put in her place; temporarily at least. But above that, Adrien stood up for me, and that was just another thing I added to the mental list I have of why I love this boy so much.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"Cut!"

I cut myself off from saying my line and looked at Nino questioningly. "What?"

"Dude, stop being so… _Mad_." He told me with an amused smile, followed by snickers from Kim, Ivan, and Max.

"What do you mean?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm not mad."

Nino rolled his eyes, and I mentally cursed myself as I felt my cheeks start to heat up. Of course I was mad, and of course it had to be noticeable. But really, who could blame me? Chloe has been rude to Marinette so many times, so was it really so wrong to stand up to her?

"We literally just watched Marinette finish filming her scene after we watched those other ones." Nino told me, and I could remember it perfectly. It was very short, but it still made me feel a little on edge to see Marinette so upset.

Marinette had been walking up to a house we had gotten permission to use as the place for that "mixer" Marilee was supposed to attend. Really, it just had lots of people inside talking, smiling, and laughing to make it seem like some sort of party. Marinette look a few steps towards the door, though stopped as she gazed through the windows with wistful eyes. Rose was one of the people we had in there with one of her classmates from another class, laughing and looking like she was having a lot of fun.

Marinette looked down and frowned slightly before she took out her phone and dialed a number. "Hi, Sara," She said, turning away from the house, talking as if she were leaving a message. "Uh, sorry I'm not going to be able to make it to the mixer tonight… I'll see you in class."

Seeing how sad she looked as she lowered the phone and walked off screen made me think that maybe she was thinking about what Chloe said. I don't care what she said, Marinette wouldn't ever deserve to be fired like Marilee was, and she is definitely not below Chloe, and especially not me.

"You're doing it again." I was taken out of my thoughts by Nino's amused toned and glared at him, feeling my cheeks become warmer.

"Yeah, why are you still so mad?" Ivan asked.

"Is it what Chloe said to Marinette?" Kim asked with a teasing tone."

"I know what you're getting at, and you're wrong." I insisted, but it only made my best friend laugh. I groaned in annoyance, and rolled my eyes. "Come on, let's start again."

Nino shook his head at me, and the other guys snickered quietly. "Places? Okay, action!"

* * *

Kim was holding Ambrose, petting him behind the ear with his thumb. "I've read that petting a cat," He paused slightly and looked up at me as I lifted weights using a bench press. "lowers your cholesterol."

I lowered the bar to my chest then fully extended my arms before looking over at him sitting in a nearby chair. "You know, it's crazy, but I actually think that I sleep better when he's in the house."

I looked back up and lowered the bar as Ivan walked through the door carrying a bag full of wrapping paper. He looked over at Kim then at me. "No adoption?" Kim looked at Ivan with a smirk as he continued to pet Ambrose, which I knew because of the script.

"No, not yet." I said as I handed the bar off to Max, who had been standing behind me to take care of the bar, and sat up, looking at Ivan. "But we're still determined to get rid of him."

"You know," Ivan said, not standing next to where Kim sat and started to pet Ambrose. "You're going to have to choose between her and that cat."

"Well, I say," Kim offered as he stood up and handed the cat over to Ivan. "Keep the cat; give Blair my number."

Max and Ivan laughed in response as I smiled in amusement and picked up a dumbbell. "Are we going to take him on calls with us?" Kim asked, looking at Ivan. Everyone else gave him a confused look.

"We can't be seen with a cat!" Max said.

"Well, I like having a firehouse cat." Ivan said, looking at Ambrose. "Every firehouse has a dog. Ambrose makes us unique."

"Yeah…" Kim said, nodding at Max, who gave them a look.

"Alright." He said, giving in. "You're the chief."

Ivan smiled before his attention settled on me, and though I was focusing on the dumbbell I was holding, I knew he was walking towards me. "So…" He started, and I looked up at him. "What are you going to do?"

* * *

"Thank you, Adrien, for standing up to Chloe for Marinette earlier." Alya told me with a smile, though there was something in her expression I couldn't quite catch. "It really means a lot to us lesser people."

"What?" I asked in confusion by her last statement, and was even more confused when she started laughing.

"I'm kidding, Adrien." She said. "I know that Chloe isn't right to say that she's better than others, and Marinette knows it too. She could have handled the situation herself; you know."

"I'm sure she could have… But…" I started, though I wasn't sure where it was going.

"I know, Adrien." She said, eyes sparkling with laughter, and I couldn't help but blush from embarrassment as I was sure I knew she was getting at the same thing Nino was getting at a little while ago as well. "Now, go out the door so we can start our scene."

I sighed but shook my head in amusement as I turned away from the counter where Alya was and went back outside the pet shop setup to wait for my cue to walk in and start the scene. I took another breath when I saw Nino give me a thumbs up from inside, waited a couple seconds as instructed, then walked through the door to begin the scene.

* * *

I was currently at Nino's house with Nino, Marinette, and Alya. We were watching the latest two scenes that he had just finished putting together. I knew these two scenes were focused on my character, Zachary, and I knew I had done well (Alya told me so), but I still felt a little uneasy since I knew how I had been feeling while being filmed.

I walked around the counter in the shop and gave Alya a smile. "Hi." I started, getting her attention from the papers she held in her hands. "I was in here the other day, and I'm looking for the woman who was working with you that day."

"Marilee." Alya said with a smile, nodding slowly.

"Yeah, Marilee." I said with a hopeful smile. "Is she here?"

"No." Alya said with a sweet tone, though her eyes said all that was needed to show how mad she was. "She no longer works here. She was fired."

"What?" I asked, looking like I hadn't a clue, because Zachary didn't. "Why?"

"Oh!" Alya said, looking as if this was news to her as well, though with heavy sarcasm. "Your girlfriend, Blair, made a complaint to her father, and I'm sure he didn't want to fire Marilee because she's our best employee, but his daughter is a very beautiful, but horrible, superficial nightmare of a human being."

As she told me all this, I looked surprised and confused, but near the end while she was describing Blair, I nodded, grimacing in agreement, and I knew I had also been thinking about how those words perfectly described Chloe.

"Yeah, I-I get it." I said dismissively, as if I were denying that Blair was as bad as Alya's character, Lucy, said.

"She's putting herself through school." Alya told me in a tone that indeed made me feel guilty, even if I really wasn't dating '_Blair'_ in real life. "She needed this job."

"Wow…" I said after pausing for a second and taking it all in. "I'm so sorry to hear that."

I went quiet again, and it looked as if I were thinking of a way to find Marilee some other way, then suddenly reached into a pocket to pull out my phone, seeming to have an idea. "Do you have her phone number, or home address?"

"Why?" Alya asked in a tone that told me she wouldn't help me. "You want to burn down her house?"

"What?" I asked as I looked up while Alya turned and took a few steps away from me. "No, I… I would like to apologize."

Because of the camera angle, I could see Alya roll her eyes impatiently as I looked at her then looked down at the paper and pencil I had ready to write down information. After a moment she turned around again and gave me an amused smile that screamed with sarcasm when she crossed her arms.

"Look, I-I had no idea that Blair got her fired." I said quickly. "If I had, I promise you I would have stopped her."

Alya continued to give me an unconvinced look, and I sighed impatiently, knowing she'd make me beg. "Please?" I finally said. "I feel awful about this."

Alya walked back towards me slowly, still with that smug smile on her face that still said she wasn't one bit happier about the situation even though I apologized. She uncrossed her arms and gave me a very small nod to show she'd at least give me something.

"White." She said. "Her last name is White, and that is all I'm going to tell you."

The scene cut to show a close up of Ambrose laying lazily on a television cart in the kitchen at the fire department building, and Ivan's voice was heard over it. "Any progress?"

Then I was shown behind a laptop, looking very concentrated on what was on the screen, with Max and Kim sitting at the table across from each other playing a card game, and Ivan in the background behind a kitchen countertop wearing a red apron with white trim and a Santa Claus head on it.

"Nope." I called in a bored and impatient tone. "She's not on Facebook, or linked in, or anything."

"And I can't believe Blair had her fired." Max said as he looked from the cards in his hands to me.

"That is cold." Kim said, then looked up at me as well. "You know, maybe I don't want her to have my number after all." Max looked at him for a moment before he chuckled, and I closed the laptop, giving up with the search.

"You've barely told us anything about this woman." Ivan said to me, looking over at the rest of us. "What's she like?"

"Well," I started as I turned in my seat to look at Ivan. "She's wicked smart, probably gets straight A's."

Ivan nodded approvingly as Kim spoke up and we all looked at him. "But more importantly, what does she look like." Max rolled his eyes and threw a game chip at him.

"What?" Kim asked defensively. "I'm curious!"

"She's really pretty." I said to Kim. "But she doesn't know it."

"Ah." Kim approved, and Ivan agreed by saying, "Oh, that's the best kind of pretty."

"Is she nice?" Ivan asked the follow up question, though I was no longer really paying attention to the scene being played for the four of us watching, and my eyes instead were on Marinette. She was watching the scene with a small smile, her cheeks a soft rosy color.

"Unbelievably." I heard myself say. "She's got a really big heart, sweet, she loves cats…"

"Wicked smart," I heard Ivan's voice repeating the descriptions, and I looked away from Marinette and down as I felt my cheeks heat up slightly. "Beautiful, but not full of herself, heart of gold, and sweet."

I looked up at the screen again to see me giving Ivan an unamused look, as if he were hinting at something impossible, the other guys laughing in the background. "What are you saying?"

"Sounds like a special person." Ivan answered with a shrug.

"She is…" I heard myself say as I gave him an accusing look. Ivan gave me an amused look on screen, and I could feel Alya and Nino giving me the same look in reality, and I knew my cheeks had been burning softly then, and they definitely were now.

"Guys," Ivan said after a moment and walked over. "Did you finish that equipment inventory?"

"Right after I beat Mark for a record _fifth_ straight game." Kim said cockily and put down a card on the table.

"How about now?" Ivan suggested in a tone that told us there really was no suggestion.

Kim looked at Ivan and could read the look he was receiving and gave a nod. "Now would be good." He agreed before he and Max put down their cards and stood from their seats.

"Don't you be looking at my cards either." Max told Ambrose accusingly before he followed Kim out of the room.

There was a meow in the background, as if Ambrose responded, while Ivan waited for the other two to leave then took Kim's vacant seat and looked at me.

"So," He started. "Marilee?"

"She doesn't want to date until she finishes school." I saw myself answer. "And starts a career."

I paused and looked at Ivan before continuing. "Besides, she's not the kind of girl I usually go out with anyway." I pause again as Ivan nodded slowly, taking in my excuses. "She believes in true love… and marriage."

Ivan let out a slight amused breath. "You know, just because your parents couldn't make it work out, doesn't mean you can't."

Again, that line hit me hard, and I had a feeling the other three had their eyes on me, though I only focused on the screen and saw myself say, "No thank you."

"And yet," Ivan continued. "you're here, searching for this very smart, pretty, nice girl."

"Yeah, just to apologize." I insisted, though I couldn't help but let my attention settle briefly on Marinette again for a moment when I heard the descriptions again, but this time our eyes met. I saw her give me an awkward smile before quickly looking away and I noticed her cheeks were pinker than before.

"Right." I heard an unconvinced Ivan say. There was a pause, and I was looking uncomfortable in the scene as Zachary. "Don't you want to have a family someday? Someone you can share the holidays with?"

"Well, you and the guys are my family." I said, though I didn't sound too convincing.

"Yeah, you can't snuggle up with me and the guys on a cold night after a long day's work." Ivan said, shaking his head at me.

I saw myself narrow my eyes at Ivan slightly in thought. "So that's a firm no?" I asked, resulting in laughter from Ivan on screen, as well as a breath of amusement from Alya, a chuckle from Nino, and a quiet giggle from Marinette.

As Ivan stood up and walked back to his place behind the kitchen counter, still laughing to himself, my attention was brought to Marinette once more. I knew the scene was ending, showing me deep in thought, and I remember exactly what I had been thinking as that scene had been filmed.

I knew that all those words were used to describe the character Marilee, but I realized they also described Marinette very well too. While filming, and again while watching, I couldn't help but think of what a great girl Marinette really is.

_Smart… Beautiful… Kind… _

And when I remembered the feeling I felt when Marinette and I had met eyes about a minute ago, I felt that feeling again, but held myself back from looking at Marinette, the other three's voices discussing the scenes we just watched were drowned out by my thoughts as I came to a new realization.

_I think Marinette is more than just a friend…_


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"The next scene that you'll be filmed with Adrien should be coming up soon." Alya told me with an excited grin, meanwhile I looked at her nervously.

"I don't know if I can go through with this, Alya." I admitted. "Thinking about filming with Adrien and pretending to be two people falling in love, and actually doing it are two completely different things."

Alya sighed and looked at me. "Come on, Marinette." She said. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Alya, what if filming these scenes with Adrien just gets my hopes up?" I asked. "What if I forgot that this is only a movie, and that when Adrien acts like he loves me I forget that it's not real? I already know that after this movie is over nothing is going to change from how it was before. All of this is just acting, and it's going to hurt when I have to accept it all over again."

Alya looked at me sympathetically. "I really don't think that will happen, otherwise I never would have let you done this."

I let out a heavy sigh to collect myself and gave Alya a smile. "I know." I said. "I'm sorry, I'm not going to overthink this movie again. As long as I keep telling myself none of it is real, I will be okay."

"That's the spirit." Alya told me with a smile, and I could tell there was more she was thinking than she let on, but I didn't say anything.

A few minutes past before a few of our other classmates showed up at the designated meeting place at the park. Five more, and everyone was there, even Chloe who was obviously very reluctant to join us.

"Thank you all for coming." Alya started, standing among everyone else who had either sat down or stood near the back of the group. "Nino and I have exciting news for you all. Nino?"

All eyes were fixed on a grinning and rather proud looking Nino. "We are very close to being halfway through the movie."

Praises were sounded off from everyone and even Chloe had a small smile on her face, though it vanished quickly when she spoke up with her usual annoyed tone. "Is that why you called us all to come on a Saturday morning?"

"Partly." Alya answered giving Chloe a subtle annoyed look. "But also to give everyone these."

She held up a small stack of papers and handed them to Nathaniel who sat closest to her and he started to pass them around. "This is scene thirty-two." She explained. "Currently the scenes we are to film tomorrow are twenty-nine through thirty-one," She paused to give Chloe a smug look. We all knew it included the break-up scene between Zachary and Blair. "So, you can see our filming is catching up to the number of scenes I have written for us.

"Nino and I are going to spend the rest of today working on the film." She continued. "I will be writing more scenes, and he will be finalizing the scenes we have already filmed so we don't have to do all of it later when all of the filming is done. For now, those of you who are filming tomorrow, polish those lines, everyone else, enjoy the day off from school, and feel free to read through the new scene. Adrien, a word?"

I looked at Alya in surprise when she said the last few words. My eyes found Adrien soon after, who had been sitting next to Nino then stood up and walked away with Alya to discuss something.

I really, really hope she isn't going to talk to him about the fears I admitted earlier. She wouldn't do that though, would she?

I stared after the two for a little longer, though I quickly shook my head and looked away. I'll just go over the next scene again in my head.

Easy. No lines. Just walk out of the building, scratch the store name off the list, walk, smile at the carolers, walk, put money in the container near the Santa ringing a bell, walk. Easy.

I let out a soft sigh and realized that I had walked myself away from where the others were while I was lost in thought. I looked around and saw that there was no one too close by to notice…

So I started rehearsing by myself. I closed my eyes took a breath and when I opened them I was no longer Marinette in the park, I was Marilee on the streets.

I imagined walking out of the pet shop I was just in and looked down, pretending to mark off the name of that pet shop on the script of scene thirty-two, pretending it was that list I would have, then turned to my right and walked. I paused after a few steps and turned, imagining a small choir of carolers was right there singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas". I smiled softly then turned and continued walking down the sidewalk.

I heard a ringing bell and looked to my left to see a Santa Claus ringing a bell, and a Mrs. Claus. Between them was a small container, lifted by red poles. A charity donation box. I smiled at the two before I reached into my coat pocket and took out some money. I looked at the money before I reached forward to make the donation…

"Marinette?"

I jumped in surprise, taking my hand away from the donation box that instantly disappeared. The street setting I was in shifted and changed to the park, and walking towards me with a curious yet amused expression was Adrien.

"Adrien?!"

"Sorry for asking, but what are you doing?" He asked, and my face turned a deep shade of red, burning with embarrassment.

"Practicing…" I muttered, looking away from him. I didn't know where to look, but I couldn't look at him. I was so embarrassed.

"Your scene for tomorrow?" He asked. "The one where you only act for about a minute?"

"Yes…" I answered, my eyes looking down at the snow-covered grass under my feet, my fingers fidgeting.

I heard laughter and my eyes flicked upwards to see Adrien laughing. I felt more embarrassed but couldn't help but smile. Hearing him laugh like that, even at the expense of my pride, is totally worth it.

"Sorry." He said when his laughter died down. "I'm not trying to make you embarrassed about it. Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to look over this next scene together?"

My head lifted and I stared at him, my mouth parting slightly in surprise. For the first time, I'm really glad I was already embarrassed, because my previous blushing covered the new heat I felt on my cheeks. "You want to… with me?"

"Well…" Adrien trailed off, and either the cold was getting to his cheeks, or he was blushing too. Though I'm thinking the first is much more likely. "Yeah. I'd like to."

"Okay…" I said with a nervous giggle when he gestured to a nearby park bench. We walked to it and sat down next to each other, each of us taking a look at the script for the first time.

"You're not in this." I said, frowning slightly to myself. There was really nothing to go over with him if he didn't even have a single line.

"But you are." He said, giving me a smile. "And you're going to get a dress to wear for later scenes. You're with your sister, played by that girl who helps with the cats, picking out a dress."

"A dress?" I questioned, and sure enough saw in the script that I would be trying on clothes with Kagami. "Alya…"

"Why don't I read the lines of Jaclyn, and you read yours?" He offered and I looked at him curiously. "To help you get a feel of the scene?"

"Yeah, okay." I agreed with a smile before I looked down at the paper. "Okay, let's start here. Jaclyn moves some clothes aside on a rack, looking bored."

I glanced up at him and he nodded, showing he was on the same page. "Okay." He said, then with a bored tone with a slight wine, asked. "Are you almost done in there?"

I waited a second, since it said Marilee hesitates, then answered. "Just about."

I glanced up at Adrien and he glanced at me, giving me a small smile before we looked back down at the script. Out silence covered the direction of Jaclyn turning and Marilee opening the dressing room curtain where she would walk out in the dress.

"Wow." He said with a smile.

I smiled as well as I read my next line. "This dress is beautiful."

"No." He said. "You're beautiful, and Green Eyes is going to faint when he sees you."

I felt my cheeks heating up again as a fierce blush spread across my cheeks and I glanced at him again. Even though those weren't really his words, not even his line, him saying the first three words had my heart pounding in my chest.

Despite my embarrassment from that, I was able to get through the rest of my lines, but my lips were still tingling as I could still remember those last three words I said to Adrien when we finished reading through the scene. Not even the chill of the slight breeze could cool my cheeks as I walked home from the park.

After finishing the scene with him, I told him that I had to go and help with the bakery. He and I said our goodbyes, but I still felt a little guilty for leaving when I really didn't have to get back home yet. I know it didn't mean anything when he read Jaclyn's last line aloud, but it still made me dizzy as I remembered.

"I love you." He had told me, and when he did, I couldn't bring myself to look at him. My eyes were glued to the page as I read Marilee's line with a small voice. "I love you…"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I was doing a last-minute read-through of my script for the next couple scenes I'd be filming, mouthing the lines to myself. I already had them memorized, so I wasn't too worried, but you can never be too prepared.

"Adrien…?"

I looked up from the line I was reading when I heard a quiet voice say my name and saw Marinette walking up to me. Instantly I remembered what we said to each other when we read over scene that we'd film in the near future, and I could feel myself blushing slightly.

_"I love you."_

I remember feeling my heart rate increase rapidly. I hadn't even thought about what I was reading before it came out. I had a similar reaction when I had read the line that called her beautiful, but this had more of an effect on me.

And when she said those three words back, my head turned to look at her. I knew she was only reading her lines, but there was something about the way she said them as she stared intently at the words on her paper that had made my heart skip.

_"I love you…"_

But she looked rather shy and sad about something, so I pushed away my thoughts and offered her a small smile.

"Hi, Marinette." I said. "Are you ready to film that scene of yours?"

"Oh, yeah I am." She said with an embarrassed smile as she stopped walking and stood in front of me. I was positive she was remembering that I had caught her practicing the scene yesterday. Then, she let out a quiet sigh, and I knew she was getting to her point.

"I was talking with Alya about the scene you filmed with the guys earlier." Marinette said, referring to the most recently filmed scene. She paused and looked down with a small frown before continuing. "I know that she wrote in Ivan's line like that on purpose, though she shouldn't have."

"Which line?" I asked, lowering the script in my hand as I looked at her curiously.

"The one that brought up your parents." She answered, looking up at me with an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry she did that, Adrien. She shouldn't have done that."

"It's okay." I said, forcing a smile although it did hurt to be reminded again, especially around this time of year. It had been a couple years ago that my parents were divorced. The details were complicated, but it was obvious marriage wasn't working for them anymore. I knew that my parents are better off this way, but I still really miss my mother.

"But are you okay?" Marinette asked me with a gentle tone, and it took me by surprise how worried she looked. I nodded in response, but she frowned a little more. "It's okay to not be okay, you know. If you want to talk about it, I'm here for you, and I'll still be here for you even if you don't want to talk about it."

It felt as if my heart skipped at her words. Suddenly the usually shy and timid Marinette was gone, and she was replaced by a girl who really cared and wanted to be sure that I knew she cared.

I couldn't help myself as I took a step to close the distance between us and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. "Thank you, Marinette." I said, and my heart warmed up more when I felt her arms around my waist, hugging me back. "Knowing that you care really means a lot."

* * *

I watched with a few other people in class as Marinette was filmed acting in that scene I caught her practicing yesterday, though this time she was really on the side walk, there was really a list in her hand of new job choices for her character, Marilee, and there were real carolers and a real Santa ringing that bell with a Mrs. Claus right next to him.

After stuffing money into the donation's container, she turned and continued walking down the street in the direction of the camera and past to finish her scene. Although the scene was short and there were no lines, it showed a lot about Marilee's character. She didn't give up and she stayed positive even when an unfair trial came her way.

_A lot like Marinette…_

I shook my head to myself for the last thought and pushed it away when I heard Alya and Nino say we were going to head back to Marinette's place to film my next two scenes. Since we hadn't been too far away from her house when filming, we decided just to walk to the bakery.

"Are you ready for these two scenes?"

I turned towards the voice to see Marinette walking next to me, looking at me with a curious smile. I don't know how or when I started to walk next to her, or when we had started to fall a few steps behind the others, but I returned her smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I said, and by the amusement in her eyes I could tell she caught the excitement in my tone.

"You'll be breaking up with Chloe—"

"Zachary; Blair." I said, cutting her off to correct her with a small grin.

"—Blair." She corrected, still smiling in amusement. "You seem really happy about it."

"I am." I answered honestly, then lowered my voice as if Chloe would hear if I spoke too loudly. "I'll be really happy when I don't have to worry about her begging for anymore kisses."

Marinette giggled and I could see her cheeks a faint pink color, though I'm sure it was just because it was cold outside. "Alya's excited too. She doesn't want to have to put up with filming and directing her. Her words, not mine."

"Really?" I asked with a teasing tone. "I believe she said all that, but you're not the least bit happy she'll be out of the film?"

"I never said that." Marinette said defensively, resulting in me chuckling quietly. "It's not like it's me who has to film her or tell her how to act. Though, yeah, I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy that she won't be around much anymore."

I nudged her playfully, resulting in a giggle and pinker cheeks from her. We fell into a silence for a few seconds before I looked at her with a teasing smile. "Good job on that scene you just filmed, by the way. You must have really practiced."

Now it was her turn to nudge me playfully, a warm smile growing across her lips. I knew she knew I was referring to when I caught her in the park, but what she didn't know was that that warm smile of hers was really warming my heart, and I wasn't able to stop myself from returning it.

* * *

"This scene is very simple." Nino said as I was handed Ambrose as I stood in the Dupain-Cheng kitchen. "A few lines, just you talking to the cat. Shouldn't take long to film."

"No," I agreed as I repositioned Ambrose in my arms, so my left hand held him against my chest and my right was able to pet the cat for the scene. "It shouldn't."

"Okay," Nino nodded, stepping away from me, holding up his camera. "Action."

I hesitated for a second, looking down at the cat before I spoke. "Okay, so here's the thing." I started. "It looks like we're going to be stuck with each other for a little while."

"You can stay here until I sell the house, but," I paused and looked away from Ambrose for a second. "Then you're on your own."

I turned my attention to a bottle of what had a cider in it, but was made to look like wine, picked it up and drank a little bit from it. Then, still holding the drink in my hand and the cat in my other, I clicked my tongue and pointed with the hand that held the bottle as if I had an idea.

"New rules." I said then glanced at Ambrose again. "We come and go as we please. You're not responsible for me, I'm not responsible for you. We're just a couple of bachelors living together."

I slowly nodded to myself as Nino brought the camera closer to me, about to end the scene. "Good talk." I said, lifting Ambrose up slightly. "Let's go watch the game."

As I turned and started to walk past Nino, he called, "Scene" and grinned at me. I returned the grin and turned to put the bottle down on a kitchen counter top then turned back to Nino and gave him a fist bump.

"Nice job, Dude." He told me. "Now for the next scene with Chloe."

We both had a look that said we expected the worst, both knowing she'd probably make this scene hard to film. When someone came up to me to get Ambrose, I think it was the girl playing Marilee's sister, I turned and handed him over then let out a long sigh. I was so ready to do this breakup scene, but I didn't want to have to put up with Chloe

* * *

As imagined, it took quite a few takes for us to finally get to the point where she gave in and say that she'd "film the stupid scene with our stupid breakup" but I think she was just telling herself that the breakup wasn't real anyway because it was just for the film. Why couldn't she have thought the same about that kiss or the relationship between our characters as a whole?

She just finished saying that she was glad that she had no more scenes after this, and that she didn't want to put up with Alya anymore either. Alya hadn't exactly been too subtle when telling her she didn't want to deal with her anymore either. To get her not to quit before this scene was filmed, Alya promised Chloe wouldn't have to worry about memorizing a single line after.

Chloe thought it was fair, though she didn't realize how much of a benefit the rest of us got from her deciding to film the scene, then want nothing to do with it anymore. Even I was surprised when she started acting right away when Nino called, "Action!" and she even had a semi-sort sweet smile on her face to show that Blair started this scene in a good mood.

There was a pan with a metal spatula and cooked meat on the stove top in the Dupain-Cheng kitchen. Chloe was picking up a bowl of salad and turned to put it down on the kitchen island on her other side, other dishes of food already in place.

I walked in, seeing this scene, though it already seemed a bit strange. I knew Chloe would never cook a meal for anyone, and that meant Blair wouldn't either. Also, wearing that fancy cheetah print shirt, those nice looking black skinny jeans, and all that jewelry, not to mention her hair and nails, there was no way she really would've actually cooked anything.

"Hey." I said as I stood in the doorway, putting a hand in my jean pocket as I leaned against the door frame, causing Chloe to look at me at the sound of my voice. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a commercial shoot?"

"It got postponed." Chloe answered with a sweet smile, then turned and held out her arms. "Surprise!" She then put her hands together and shrugged slightly. "I made dinner."

I sighed and looked down, a hand moving up to touch my chin as I thought for a second, while she turned back to look at the food on the island. I stood there for a moment in silence before a confused look crossed my face. "Where's Ambrose?" I asked, turning and looking around to the floor around and behind me.

"I don't know." Chloe answered, still trying to dish out the food when I looked at her. "I thought he was with you."

"No," I answered, sounding concerned, and started to walk towards her with slow steps. "And he always greets me when I come home.

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere." Chloe said, and though she looked concerned with her small smile, her tone made it obvious she didn't care. Then, to really try to sell that she did care, she called for him, but still had a very unconvincing tone. "Ambrose, where are you?"

"Just forget about the cat." She said almost immediately after. "Go get into the shower. I'm going to put dinner on the table."

I turned and walked back through the room I came from, calling Ambrose's name twice before I went back into the kitchen. "I wonder if he got out somehow…" I paused and thought for a second before looking up at Chloe then turned again to leave the kitchen. "I'm going to go find him."

"Why?" Chloe demanded suddenly, still with a false sweet tone. I turned and looked at her, seeing her confused and exasperated expression as she walked over to stand closer to me. "No, he'll be fine."

I looked down and let out a breath of exasperation and took a couple steps to stand in front of her. I looked up at her for a moment before speaking. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"What?" She asked innocently, a hand on her hip as if she did nothing wrong.

"Did you really have that woman who works at your father's store fired?"

"Yes." Chloe answered, making a face as if it were a traumatic experience for her. "She was horrible. She talked back to me. She was a total—"

"So you had her fired?" I asked, cutting her off and lifted my arms slightly to show that I didn't understand her logic. All she did was look at me innocently. "You can't do that, Blair. You—You can't just have somebody fired because you don't like them."

Chloe sighed softly, giving me a patient look as if I were overreacting. "Look." She said with a soft, sweet voice as she stepped closer to me. "Everything's okay."

"She doesn't matter," She paused and put her hands on my chest, and rubbed them over my chest and to my shoulders as if it were supposed to comfort me. "The cat is gone, everything's back to normal."

I stood there, letting her rub her hands on me as if it were soothing, but it wasn't. I was glad that the next part I had to do was wait for a few seconds then back away from her, making her take her hands away from me. "This isn't working."

"What?" She asked, noticing I wouldn't look at her.

"You and me." I answered, looking at her again as I said the line.

"You're kidding me." She said with a disbelieving, unamused tone. "Right?"

"No." I answered, looking at her again.

"_You're_ breaking up with _me_?" She asked as if the idea was impossible.

I slowly nodded and pursed my lips. "That's the way it looks."

She instantly lost the sweet tone and smile. "I'm a professional model, and you're breaking up with me?!" I looked away, feeling uncomfortable by her furious, unbelieving gaze, and she was obviously very angry but tried to remain calm. "I wasted my entire night cooking for you. I got my hair done; these are expensive highlights!"

I was honestly having a really hard tone not to break character and laugh as I said my next words. "I know you didn't cook, Blair." I paused as she looked at me in shock. "You left the packages for the food in the trash right where I can still see them. I also know you didn't cook because I just bought that stove, and it's not connected yet."

Chloe gave me a very unhappy look and lowered her tone to a threatening one. "Trust me. I am the best thing that's ever happened to you, and you're going to regret this. You're going to call and you're going to beg for me to come back. Guess what? I won't."

She then walked past me, storming away, and I followed her slowly as she turned the corner to the door. She only stopped to take her hook off of a coat rack before she opened the door, walked out, and slammed the door shut behind her.

The moment the door closed again, I looked around the house. "Ambrose?" I called. "Ambrose! Ambrose, where are you buddy?" I sighed softly and turned so the camera could see a concerned look on my face, and called Ambrose's name again.

"And, scene." Nino called with a smile, and I returned it. I then walked over to the door where Marinette and Alya were waiting for the scene to be over and opened it to let them in.

"Chloe is gone." Marinette said with an amused smile. "She didn't even wait to see if she needed to do the scene again."

"Good riddance, is what I say." Alya muttered, though she definitely wasn't trying to stop Nino or I from hearing, and I couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Anyway, here you two go." She paused and offered Marinette and I each a packet with more scenes to prepare for. "The next five scenes after the one we film tomorrow."

"Do we finally get another scene together?" I asked curiously as I started to flip through the pages, and I knew Marinette was doing the same.

"Actually…" Alya trailed off with a smirk at the two of us, causing us to both look at her. "You two get to go on your first date."

"What?" Marinette asked quickly, and I was still looking at Alya in surprise. I could feel my cheeks heat up slightly at the thought of Marinette and I on a real date and couldn't help but smile a little bit.

"Really?" I asked, and both Alya and Marinette looked at me. I guess I sounded a little too happy about it. Marinette's cheeks were a pink color and Alya was grinning.

"Yep!" Alya said happily. "These next scenes are the first of many for the two of you, and the first that really bring Zachary and Marilee together. You will be spending a lot of time together."

I looked at Marinette who still looked dazed as she stared at me, but I wasn't exactly sure why. But, even while I didn't understand why she looked so surprised, I couldn't help but grin. "I can't wait."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

**~Adrien's POV~**

My father had been surprisingly generous with his designs, since he had said he'd provide another dress for the film. The only reason he said he let us borrow the last one was because it was for Chloe, so I was shocked, but not disappointed, when he asked me for a description of Marinette and her measurements to provide her with a nice, suitable dress.

The only time I got to see the dress before it was used in the scene was when I handed it over to Alya, but even then it was in a clear bag, folded neatly. Alya grinned and ran it off to Marinette, who was waiting for her in the school bathroom, to make sure it fit. I had waited a few minutes before Alya poked her head out through the still mostly closed door with wide eyes.

She stared at me with a mixed expression of shock and amazement before she broke into a grin. "Wow!" She said then laughed to herself as she closed the door again, but I could still hear her repeating her exclamations of "wow!" that only grew louder, as well as Marinette's nervous giggles.

Although at the time I had a very hard time understanding what made the two act that way, now as I watched Marinette run through her fifth take of this scene with that girl, Kagami, who looks kind of like her, I understood exactly why Alya said "wow" and I was having a hard time myself not saying it out loud.

Sadly though, Marinette stumbled slightly as she wore the black high heels with the dress, so Nino had to call for another take. But maybe it wasn't so disappointing after all because I could watch the girls act the scene I had read through with Marinette. The girls went back to their places, and Nino called for the scene to start for the sixth time.

* * *

Finally, after eight takes, the girls got through their scene, and were very excited to see how they did on camera. They, as well as Nino, Alya, Alix, and I gathered around to watch.

It started off with the first bit of them outside. Although it technically was a separate scene from the one they just filmed, it was so short and went well with the one right after that Alya just counted both parts as one scene.

Marinette was walking down the sidewalk right outside the clothing store we were given permission to use to film at. Kagami was wearing a simple white dress with a long tan coat over it, and Marinette wore very casual clothes with that puffy coat she wore for her character.

"I can't remember the last time I got a… mani-peti." Marinette said as she looked at her nails with a small smile.

"That's just the beginning." Kagami said with a satisfied smile. "You need to take time to pamper yourself. All you do is volunteer and work, and study."

"I should be studying right now." Marinette said anxiously.

"No," Kagami practically cut her off. "You need to go with your sister to get your hair and make-up done and then go shopping for a new dress! That was our deal."

"I know." Marinette sulkily said. "But I've already been gone so long—"

"Marilee." Kagami cut in, walking in front of her as she held her arm to show her seriousness, and when Marinette tried to argue, she let go of her arm and made hand gestures with the next two words. "Stop. Breathe. Okay?" Then she turned to look through the open store window to see white poinsettias. "Enjoy the holiday season."

When Marinette looked unconvinced as she turned towards the window, Kagami let out an amused breath. "Better?"

Marinette smiled in amusement and put her arm around Kagami's shoulder, giving her a side hug. "Better." She agreed.

"Good." Kagami said with a satisfied smile, returned the hug, then moved away. "You deserve this." She said seriously with a warm tone then grabbed Marinette's hand, pulling her towards the door of the store. "Come on."

"I deserve this." Marinette told herself, though she still had a skeptical tone and reluctantly followed Kagami.

As we waited for Nino to start the next recording, I looked in Marinette's direction to see her grinning with Kagami as they did a repeat of that side hug. I smiled softly to myself at the scene, happy to see Marinette so happy. I think her and Kagami were going to be pretty great friends by the time this film was over.

"There we go." Nino said, announcing the start of the most recently recorded scene and we all turned our attention back to the camera. Though, I did notice a small smirk from Nino that told me that he saw that I had been looking at Marinette. I chose to ignore it.

Kagami was shown moving clothes on a rack with a bored look, looking at a black suit jacket. "Are you almost done in there?" She asked, her tone matching her expression perfectly.

"Just about." Marinette's voice was heard from behind gray curtains behind Kagami, who smiled a little bit to herself and turned around just as Marinette opened the curtains and revealed herself in that dress. I was very glad I had been standing near the back of the room when they were filming the scene because I didn't want anyone to know how amazing I thought she looked in that dress, though while I was there surrounded by the others, I still let out a quiet breath and smiled to myself.

"Wow." Kagami said as she looked at how the dress looked on Marinette with a grin, and I silently agreed with her. The knee-length black dress with black lace covering her upper chest and arms down to her wrists was quite form fitting, and looked amazing on her.

"This dress…" Marinette said self-consciously as she rubbed the lace on her arm and awkwardly walked towards Kagami. "Is beautiful."

"No," Kagami said as she shook her head at her. "You're beautiful. And Green Eyes is going to faint when he sees you."

"Oh, no-no-no I-I can't afford this." Marinette protested as Kagami walked closer to her and smiled.

"Not a problem." Kagami said, shaking her head again seriously. "I sold three houses this month and I want to take care of you for once."

As she spoke, Marinette was shaking her head to oppose. "It's too much."

"Marilee." Kagami said in a gentle tone. "When Mom and Dad died, you came home and put your life on hold to take care of me. You have done so much for me, and the dress is nothing."

Marinette game her a look and Kagami smiled sweetly, knowing she gave in and they both turned to look at her in a mirror. Marinette still looked very self-conscious and rubbed at the material while Kagami smiled. "You look like Mom…"

Marinette broke into a sad smile and looked at herself for a little longer. "I do?" She asked, emotion in her tone as if she'd start crying.

Kagami nodded and smiled more, a comforting hand on Marinette's arm. "Yeah, you really do."

They stayed there for another couple seconds before Marinette turned to Kagami and lifted a hand, sticking her pinky out. "Pinky-swear?"

Kagami grinned with tears in her eyes and lifted her hand as well, wrapping her pinky around Marinette's and nodded. Then, she pulled her into a hug, saying quietly, "I love you."

"I love you." Marinette returned with a small smile on her face, then the scene cut to blackness.

* * *

"That dress was so beautiful, but I could never own one like that for myself." Marinette said after she came out of the changing room, the dress back folded in that clear bag.

"Why do you say that?" I asked instantly as I turned towards her. "It looked really good on you."

Marinette stared at me for a couple seconds, her cheeks turning a rosy color before her eyes darted away. "Y-You think so?"

"Definitely." I said with a grin, choosing to ignore the elbow to the side I knew was from Nino. I also knew Alya and Alix would be smirking, letting me do all the talking.

Marinette finally looked at me with a small smile, though it was obvious she was embarrassed. "Thanks." She said quietly. "Do you think you can thank your father for me, for letting me borrow this dress for the film?"

I shrugged in response and looked in Nino, Alya, and Alix's direction for a moment to see them all giving me a look. I smiled to myself in amusement, knowing what they all meant. "Why don't you come with me and thank him yourself?" I offered.

Marinette looked alarmed at the suggestion and immediately started sputtering. "I-I-I couldn't do that! He's probably busy! So busy! I-I wouldn't bother want—I mean want to bother him!"

I smiled at her, my amusement growing as I let her get out what she wanted to say. "It wouldn't be a problem, really." I insisted. "Besides, my house is closer walking distance than yours is. After you thank him, I can be sure you have a ride home."

"Oh." Was the first thing she said, and her eyes traveled in the direction of Alya, Nino, and Alix. I wasn't sure what they did, but suddenly Marinette had her eyes on me again and grinned. "Yeah, I'd like to home with you—go you home—I'd like that."

I smiled at her, more amused and nodded before gesturing towards the door. "Shall we then?"

"Oh." Marinette said and giggled nervously as she looked in the direction of our friends then back at me. "We shall."

* * *

It seems like no time had passed before we found ourselves at the top of the stairs to my home and I was opening the door for her. "Well, I thought it looked stunning on you." I said with a teasing grin.

Marinette rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head. "You have to say that when a girl says they looked bad in anything." She said as she walked through the door. "You can't agree with her."

"I mean it." I told her as I walked in after her and closed the door behind me. "That dress fit you well, in my opinion. Unless my opinion doesn't matter to you?"

"Actually—" Marinette started with a small laugh, but cut herself off as we both looked up towards the stairs and saw my father himself looking at us with an expressionless face, his hands folded neatly behind him. To say the least, I was very surprised to see him out of his office.

"I assume the two of you are discussing the dress that I gave away for Miss Dupain-Cheng's use?" He questioned, and though he wasn't loud, his voice easily carried to us in the empty entrance hall.

"Yes, Father." I answered, noticing Marinette stiffen beside me. "The dress was a good choice."

When Marinette looked at me in surprise, I looked at her and gave her a small smile. I know she was silently asking me if that meant my father chose the dress himself, so I gave her a small nod as well. I heard her exhale deeply through her teeth and look towards my father.

"What did you think of the dress, Miss Dupain-Cheng?" My father inquired, seemingly interested in her response.

"Oh, it's absolutely beautiful." Marinette said instantly and took a small step in the direction of the stairs on which my father stood. "I never imagined I'd wear such a dress, even for a role in a movie." She paused and looked down at the dress that she held in her arms, and I looked at her with a small smile of my own. "Thank you so much for letting me use the dress. I will have it cleaned and given back to you after we film the last scene that I'll be wearing it in—"

"That won't be necessary." My father cut in quickly, causing both Marinette and I to look up at him in surprise. He was quiet for a couple seconds, and it almost appeared as if he were enjoying the look of surprise on our faces. "You do like the dress, do you not?"

"I love it." Marinette answered, surprise and confusion in her tone. "It's a beautiful design, and I'm honored to have the privilege to wear it in the film."

"Then you will also have privilege to take it off my hands." He said, and I was shocked to see a small smile curve at the corners of his lips as Marinette stared wide-eyed at him.

"Are you serious?!" Marinette asked, not even bothering to keep the excitement out of her voice. "I can keep this dress?!"

My father gave her a small nod, and his smile grew a little more, but I wasn't paying him any attention anymore as my eyes went back to Marinette. She was looking at me with a large grin on her face, and I knew she couldn't even think of any words to see.

"Oh my goodness, thank you!" She finally said after a few seconds, and it seemed like she would explode from all her happiness and excitement. "Thank you! Oh, wow! Adrien, can you believe it?!"

I smiled at her in amusement, my eyes flicking up to see my father looking at me with what appeared to be a small smirk. That only confused me, and my confusion went in my tone when I answered her. "No, I can't…"

"Thank you for coming by, Miss Dupain-Cheng—" My father started, but surprisingly Marinette interrupted him.

"Marinette…" She said her name, still sounding dazed.

"Yes—Marinette." My father corrected patiently. "It was very nice to see you. I will make sure you have a ride home."

Marinette continuously muttered to herself in excitement and amazement, even as I started to walk her to the door, but I stopped in my tracks when my father spoke again. "Adrien, where do you think you're going?"

"To see Marinette home." I answered, giving him a confused look when I stopped near the door and turned back towards him.

He shook his head at me and spoke, "No, I'd like for you to stay here with me. Marinette will be seen home by Natalie."

Marinette and I exchanged confused looks, but shrugged it off. We said our farewells to each other, then she walked out the door and I turned back to my father. I was surprised to see that he had descended the stairs and was approaching me. Not knowing what else to do, I walked towards him, meeting him in the middle of the large entrance hall.

"You let her keep the dress." I said as a statement, though it was enough of a question to him. He nodded slowly but didn't say anything, so I continued. "Why?"

"I thought it was obvious." He told me. When I didn't answer, he gave me a very small, amused smile. "I believe we both know she looked very nice in that dress."

"But you didn't—" I tried to protest, but he silenced me with a hand.

"I didn't have to see Miss Marinette in that dress to know it must have looked nice on her." He explained. "You alone were able to tell me that much."

"Me—What?" I asked, confused as I looked at him, wanting more answers. "How did I tell you?"

"It was how you looked at her, and argued with her that the dress was beautiful on her." He answered, and instantly my cheeks warmed. "And I assume you were not lying to her?"

"No, I was not." I answered, knowing I couldn't lie easily to my father.

"I let her borrow and keep the dress because of you, Adrien." My father told me. "When I asked for a brief description of her appearance and her measurements, you seemed very—what's the word—fond of this girl."

I didn't think my cheeks could heat up anymore, but they had, and I knew they had to be a red shade by now. "I-I don't know what you mean." I tried to protest, but my father would have none of it.

"I'd like to meet this girl properly in the near future, Adrien." My father told me, and it was obvious this conversation was close to an end. "She seems like a great girl. I think I might like to meet her parents as well. Don't you think I should?"

I knew he was teasing me now. He very, very rarely did it, and it didn't really show in his tone, but by that amusement in his eyes, I knew he was, and I knew I could only respond in one way to get this torture to stop.

"Yes, Father."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

We had the full day off from school, and Alya started it off by delivering the next five scenes she recently finished to everyone personally, except for Chloe who no longer wanted anything to do with the film, other than to get the grade. Alya and I were now waiting outside the bakery for Kagami to show up and take us to the fire station for us to film the next couple scenes. We could not stop talking about that beautiful dress I was given to wear as Marilee.

"I still can't believe you got to keep it!" Alya said excitedly. "I mean, not even Chloe got to keep the one she got to wear, and she's Chloe!"

"I know." I agreed, unable to wipe the grin off of my face. "I'm not sure why I got to keep this dress when she didn't, but I'm definitely not complaining." I paused and lowered my voice to an excited whisper. "This is a _Gabriel_ designer dress!"

"And yours is much better than the one Chloe borrowed." Alya added, grinning with excitement. "I bet Adrien is really happy his father let you keep it too."

I could hear the teasing tone in her voice and I instantly blushed deeply. "Alya!" I whisper-shouted. "I seriously doubt that!"

"I don't know," Alya said, drawing out her words as she continued to tease me. "He sure seemed to like it on you yesterday while and after you were filming."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but Alya spoke again before I could get out another word, her smile widening slightly. "Kagami's here!" Kagami was about a year older than us and was already able to drive.

Sure enough, a small silver car pulled up to the curb next to where we waited. The passenger side's window rolled down to reveal Kagami smiling at us. "Hey, girls!" She said excitedly. "Ready for this scene?"

"We sure are!" Alya answered for the both of us with a grin. "You two head on over. Nino will be here in no time to bring me over."

"We could wait." I offered, looking at Kagami who nodded her agreement. "We can keep you company while you wait."

"That's sweet of you girls," Alya said with a smile. "But I actually see Nino coming on his way. Well, not him, but his mom is driving."

"Oh okay." Kagami said with a small shrug. "In that case, we should probably head over, Marinette." I nodded in response and opened the door. I gave Alya a small wave before I climbed into the passenger side and closed the door.

As I got in, I happened to notice something in the backseat, and curiously turned to look at it. I instantly smiled when I recognized the cat carrier. "Ambrose." I said with a small smile to myself.

"The one and only." Kagami responded with a smile as she started to drive us to the fire station. "He too is ready for his next scene.

* * *

"Okay, do you mind if I ask you something?" Kagami asked me as we sat in her cat, watching as Nino and Alya prepared our scene. They said it shouldn't take long, which meant five minutes at most.

I nodded in response to the question. "Ask me anything. Shoot."

"Why were you so red when I was picking you up?" She asked curiously. "I mean, you're just wearing that dress, so I know you weren't overheating, so either you're sick, or you were really, really cold."

I let out a long breath through my teeth and silently chose to just tell her the truth. "I'm not sick" I said, and slowly nodded to myself as I confirmed my personal decision. "And I wasn't too cold. I was embarrassed by things Alya was saying to me."

"What was she saying?" Kagami asked curiously, and I felt my cheeks heating up slightly as I hesitated.

"She was complimenting how I look in this dress." I said. "And… she was saying that she strongly believes Adrien liked how it looks on me too."

"Well, he'd have to be blind not to think that." Kagami told me. "You look gorgeous in it. He's the blond one, right? The model? Mr. Green Eyes?"

I nodded again and smiled with amusement at the last description she said. "That's him."

"He's kind of cute, isn't he?" Kagami added with a meaningful smile, and I gave her a look.

"Don't you start teasing me about him too." I warned. "Alya already does that enough."

"Why does she tease you?" Kagami asked curiously, but slowly grinned knowingly. "Do you like him?"

"Isn't that an understatement?" I asked sarcastically, blushing more. "Yeah, I really like him."

"And you two both happen to have the leading roles of a romance movie?" Kagami asked with a growing grin. "That can't just be a coincidence."

"No," I agreed and let out a sigh. "It's not. We all knew Adrien would be the leading male, but Alya got the rest of the class to agree to me being leading female. It wasn't hard, really; all the girls in class know about this crush I have on Adrien."

"Alya's the one writing all the scripts too, isn't she?" Kagami asked, and I nodded again to answer her.

"I think Alya is trying to use this film as a way for Adrien to see me as more than a friend." I admitted. "Though I know it would take a lot more than just some roles in a movie that changes how he sees me."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Kagami replied with a smug smile. I looked at her questioningly, but she didn't say anything else. I couldn't even ask her what she meant, or if she knew something I didn't, because Alya was walking towards us to give us the directions to film the scene.

* * *

After Kagami and I filmed our scene with Ambrose, we started the second scene of the day. The boys had arrived at separate times during our takes, and spent the time waiting to talk with the firemen and get their scene setup. Thankfully, as we recorded both the scenes there weren't any emergencies.

It was a shame that Adrien wasn't able to stick around long enough to see how they turned out. He had to leave mid-morning to do a photo-shoot then fencing and piano practice, so he'd be able to join us again in the evening for our next scenes together. I could hardly contain my excitement since I knew those scenes would be of our characters' first date together.

Though in the meantime while I waited for the time to come, I sat with Alya, Nino, Alix, Kagami, Ivan, Kim, and Max to watch the two scenes. That were just filmed.

The first scene started off by showing the front of the fire station and Kagami's small silver car pulling into the entrance way and parking. Then, I was shown in the car with Kagami. I had my right arm up against the car's window and my hand on my head as if I had been bored earlier, looking shocked as I looked out the window and to the fire station while Kagami looked pleased with herself.

"Why are we stopping here?" I asked as I turned quickly to look at Kagami for an explanation.

"You don't think I'm going to take you home looking like this." She answered as if it were obvious, which really, it was. "You're going to go in there and make Green Eyes faint."

"No! I-I—" I said quickly, but Kagami ignored it as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"I'll go with you." She said, cutting me off. "I want to meet this guy anyway."

There was a note of panic in my voice as I took my arm down and put it on my lap and spoke quickly again. "I have to study for my anatomy final tomorrow. I have to go home. Now."

Kagami gave me a tired look before speaking. "If you don't go in there and show him how you look, I'm going to drag you in."

"Wait!" I said quickly when she turned towards her car door. She turned back towards me slowly with an amused, victorious grin as if she knew she won. "I'll go in. I'll go in."

"Good!" She squealed and shrugged her shoulders with excitement. "He's going to be so surprised."

I make an awkward, unintelligible sound and smiled nervously as she continued grinning, but it soon vanished, and my eyes shot open with panic as I reached across and stopped Kagami from opening her door.

"I wanna—I need to go in there by myself." I said, calming my voice again when she leaned away from the door and looked at me skeptically. "Because he's gonna wanna… grab me… and kiss me… all over, and it would be awkward… if you were standing there."

Kagami pursed her lips as she tried to hide an amused smile, and I added, "You'll meet him at the Christmas party."

"Okay." She said, nodding slowly. "Fine. Go. I'll wait for you here."

"No, you just—you go home." I said quickly and Kagami gave me a curious look, so I continued as I unbuckled my seat belt. "Yeah, he-he'll give me a ride. He's um…" I paused and looked at my wrist, though there wasn't a watch there, so I awkwardly lowered my arm again. "Getting off shift right now."

"Are you sure?" Kagami asked me with an amused and curious tone.

"Yeah." I answered quickly. "Yes. Yep."

"Have fun." Kagami told me, moving her shoulders in a suggestive way before she turned to put her seat belt on again.

"Thank you for today." I said, and she gave me a smile and nodded. "You're welcome."

"Here I go." I said, very reluctant to get out of the car and Kagami chuckled as I finally opened the door and got out. "Just… see ya." I told her awkwardly. When I was out, I gave her a small wave then took a few steps towards the station, but when Kagami drove started driving away, I stopped and watched her car. I smiled and waved again, then took a few more steps before stopping, a very nervous look on my face.

"Okay…" I said quietly to myself and started to back away in large steps and eventually turned around and started walking back towards the street and away from the station. I walked against traffic on the shoulder of the road, holding onto the bag I had slung over my shoulders when I had started walking away from the station, taking quick steps.

A truck honked at me as it passed and I looked at it with a small amused smile and rolled my eyes, though when I faced forward again, I stopped walking and tilted my head with a confused look. Then the camera angle changed to show that I was looking at Ambrose sitting on the side of the road. When Kagami drove off, she actually spent a little time getting Ambrose out and ready for the scene while I was walking in his direction.

"Ambrose?" I questioned myself quietly then continued walking towards the cat. As I approached, he rolled onto his side and looked up at me with a meow. "Awe." I cooed before I reached him and crouched to pick him up. "Ambrose, what are you doing out here? Are you lost?"

I took a few steps back in the direction of the fire station, quietly talking to the cat before looking up and stopping and let out a long sigh. "Okay…" I said to myself with a whine, obviously not wanting to go there.

The scene ended, and the next one started soon after. I blushed and smiled to myself, remembering how it was as I filmed the scene with Adrien.

It was the first one we were together in while I was wearing that really nice black dress, and I thought it was kind of funny that we had to start over quite a few times because Adrien's forgot his lines. He either said the wrong one, repeated one, or just didn't say anything at all. All the guys around him laughed each time Nino called "cut" and said we had to start again.

When that scene started for us to watch, I was shown walking by the opened, large garage door, and when I looked inside the garage I turned and walked in. The angle changed to show several firemen around the firetrucks, many of which were real firemen, except for Kim and Max who were wiping down the front of the engine I was heading for.

"Hi." I said awkwardly to get their attention. When they turned and looked at me curiously, I continued. "I'm looking for the owner of this cat?"

Kim and Max looked at each other then looked back at me saying, "He's mine" simultaneously.

"Actually," I said as I chuckled. "I think he belongs to a guy named Zachary?"

Both of the guys sighed as if each were admitting to themselves that they tried, then Max looked up and towards a door that led to the interior of the building. "Zach!" He called. "Someone's here to see you."

A couple of seconds later Adrien walked out from the doorway, and I couldn't help but think about how cute he looked in that fireman's uniform. I knew the other two guys were wearing the same one but that didn't change how I saw them.

"Hey, it's you!" Adrien said, giving me a confused smile as he approached me. "And Ambrose."

"I found him wandering outside," I said, watching as he came closer with a relieved smile, and he stopped before leaning closer, reaching for the cat who I handed over to him. "And I thought he might have been lost."

"Hey Buddy." Adrien said to the cat while he was handed over, and I said, "Yeah…" awkwardly.

"I've been looking for you guys," Adrien said, looking down at Ambrose then back up at me. "And here you are together." Kim, Max and Ivan could be seen behind him, watching us with grins.

"You were looking for me?" I questioned, curiously. "Why?"

"Yeah…" Adrien said with a sigh. "I wanted to apologize. I'm… so sorry about your job. It's my fault that you got fired."

"Oh, you don't have to." I said, shaking my head at him. "It—it's not you, it was your girlfriend. She's—"

"Yeah, she's—she's not my girlfriend anymore." Adrien interrupted with a small smile and looked down at Ambrose.

"Oh, that's great." I said, causing him to look up at me again quickly. "I mean it… in a sad way. It's—well you got Ambrose back now, so…"

"Yeah…" Adrien said quietly in agreement while I pet the cat in his arms then turned to walk away, giving him a small wave and a smile. Although I hadn't seen it when we were filming because I was walking away, Adrien turned back to look at the other guys with a distressed look.

Ivan made a quick gesture with his hand and a look as if to tell him to "go on", Kim gave him a look that said "really?", and Max had a small hand gesture and look as if asking, "what are you doing?" All three of their actions made me giggle quietly to myself, my cheeks heating up slightly.

Adrien let out a small breath of amusement and turned back in my direction. "Uh, you know actually," He called after me, causing me to turn around. "I'm getting off work soon. Can I give you a ride, or buy you dinner?"

"Oh, you don't have to do that." I said dismissively. "I'm fine. I can—I can walk home."

"Let me buy you dinner." Adrien repeated with a determined look and a small smile. "It's the least I can do."

"It's the least he can do." The three guys behind Adrien chorused together with smiles, causing Adrien to smile in amusement, still looking at me.

I broke into a smile as well and rolled my eyes as I let out an amused breath. "Well, it's nice of you…" I started, about to turn him down, but I decided to accept instead. "But only if I get to take you to my favorite place."

"Yeah." Adrien said with a smile and started to turn away. "Should I go home and change?"

"Umm, I know the owner pretty well." I answered with a small nod, my eyes narrowed slightly as I thought about his question and my answer. "I think I can get you in dressed like that."

"What about Ambrose?" I asked after Adrien was turned towards me again.

"He's used to being here." Ivan answered for him as he walked over behind Adrien. "He's a firehouse cat."

"He's our mascot." Kim spoke up from where he and Max still stood.

"We're determined to be unique." Max added.

"We like having him around." Ivan finished, and all three of them gave me smiles as if that settled the problem with leaving Ambrose. Adrien let out a small laugh, still looking at me, and I smiled back at the four of them.

"Okay." I said with a smile, and ended the scene. It cut out to darkness, resulting in an applause from everyone around me. I blushed in embarrassment and thanked them, though I really was only thinking about how excited I was to film the next four scenes with Adrien.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I felt myself very subtly leaning towards her and quickly leaned away again when I realized what I had been doing. I don't even know exactly why I would do that.

"Well, uh…" Marinette said with an awkward smile. "Good night."

"Yeah, good night." I repeated with a small awkward smile of my own. "And good luck on your final."

"Thank you." Marinette said. "Yeah." She looked at me for another second before she made a sudden gesture to the door and chuckled nervously. I gave her a small, amused smile as she took the last few steps to the door, and I only looked away when she glanced back at me with another warm smile as she opened the door.

I really don't know why I did that, leaning towards Marinette like that. It wasn't even written in the script for us to act like how we did, to seem so reluctant to end that date. It was only when Nino spoke that I was pulled out of my thoughts.

"And scene." He called, causing Marinette to come back outside. When I turned to look at Alya, Nino and Alix, I instantly frowned when I saw that they were all smirking, and though it seemed Nino was trying to hide it, he was doing a very poor job.

"Alright." Alya said, her smirk turning into a grin. "Why don't we watch those scenes? Nino, how about you get those videos onto my phone so us girls can watch it together and you and Adrien watch it together?"

"But—" Nino started, but quickly closed his mouth when Alya gave him a look. Slowly he started to nod as if he understood what Alya was trying to get at. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Let me just…"

Alya smiled at him sweetly and handed over her phone to let Nino transfer the videos. Meanwhile, I glanced at Alix who was still smirking at me. My face heated up even more, then my eyes shifted to Marinette. Her cheeks were very rosy, but she seemed surprisingly calm.

_Hopefully she didn't notice I leaned in a little closer to her…_

Another glance at Alix and her smirk, however, told me that the pink-haired girl had in fact noticed my off-script action, and it was obvious she wouldn't let me forget about it in a hurry.

* * *

"You have two beef tacos, one burrito, and one chicken taco." The man in the food truck told someone who was in front of us in line. The camera then moved to show that there were still five ahead of us, some people alone and others in pairs.

"So." I said when the camera showed me next to Marinette in line. Both of us were looking towards the menu on the side of the food truck and we both had our arms crossed, though I turned my head to look at her as I asked the question. "This is your favorite place?"

"Yes." Marinette answered with a nod then glanced at me before we each looked at the menu again, and she raised a hand toward her mouth, holding it just under her chin and making hand motions for emphasis. "It's like a surprise party in your mouth."

"And he's opened all night." Marinette added, and I glanced at her again with a small amused smile. "When I'm studying late at night I usually end up here."

I smiled a little more and nodded. "I'm game." I said, which caused Marinette to look at me with an amused smile and chuckle.

The scene changed to show Marinette and I sitting at a table with the cardboard containers and paper our food came with. It was nice, actually being able to eat it, because it turns out it actually is one of Marinette's favorite places to get food. It was also nice, that when we had to restart the scene, we didn't have to eat the food again.

"You're right." I said with a small chuckle as Marinette let out a breath, looking down at her trash. "That was amazing."

Marinette laughed and nodded in agreement while I had a napkin I was wiping my fingers and palms on. "I know, right?"

She glanced at me, then looked away as I looked at her, my arms crossed on the tabletop as I leaned forward. Her arms crossed as well as she looked away and her hands rubbed over her arms.

"Are you cold?" I asked, noticing her actions and offering her a small smile when her head turned quickly towards me.

"No, no I'm fine." She answered quickly, though it was very disbelieving.

I gave her a look that told her I didn't believe her then held up a finger. "I'll be right back." She didn't even have time to protest as I stood and walked away, and she looked very confused and almost amused.

Then, the scene switched again to show the two of us walking together, each holding a small cup of hot chocolate. I was still in that fireman's uniform, and she was still in that pretty little black dress, but she also now was wearing a yellow fireman's jacket over it.

I had helped her put it on before we started the scene and I smiled slightly to myself as I remembered the grateful smile she gave me.

"When I was in college," Marinette said. "My parents died in a car accident, so I went back home to take care of my little sister until she graduated from high school… and when she went off to college I went back to get my degree, and started veterinary school."

"Why a vet?" I asked curiously after thinking about what she told me for a second.

"My parents were huge animal lovers." She replied then let out a slight sigh. "I guess it rubbed off on me and my sister." As she paused, I took a sip of my hot chocolate, listening to her every word as if she weren't just saying some line for a movie.

"My mom took in every stray she could find." She continued. I smiled and hummed quietly to show I heard her, then we sat next to each other on a bench.

"When I was… seven..." She continued, and I looked at her, causing us to make eye contact. "I was walking home from school and there was this baby bird in the middle of the road. It had fallen out of its nest. So I picked him up and I took him home. I nursed him back to health."

Though the camera had been on Marinette the entire time she was talking, when she paused it showed my face as I smiled at her. I blushed as I could now see the expression I had been giving her. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was in fact hanging onto her every word, then while we were filming, and now when I was just watching us on screen.

Marinette let out a small chuckle and was smiling happily to herself. "And I was there for his first flight…" She trailed off as she shook her head at herself. "I had totally forgotten about that, but you're right. That was when I knew I wanted to be a vet."

I took another sip of my hot chocolate as she looked lost in thought another second before she turned to me and asked, "How about you? What made you want to be a firefighter? What was your defining moment?"

"Well…" I started after a quiet sigh. "When I was about fourteen my house caught on fire, and I was trapped in my bedroom… terrified… until this amazing firefighter crashed through my bedroom window and saved my life."

"That was the moment you decided you wanted to be a firefighter." Marinette commented with a smile.

"Well, it was the moment I decided I didn't want to be angry anymore." I said, and I could see the way her smile slowly faded. "My parents fought all the time and they're divorced now, and uh… it made me a pretty angry kid. That was the moment I decided I wanted to do something that would make a difference, so I started focusing on helping people like the way I was helped."

I knew she felt bad for Alya writing about my parents again in the script as she had made sure to apologize for Alya after we finished filming that scene, and even went as far to scold Alya in my behalf. To say the least, I was surprised to see her stand up for me against her best friend, even if it had only been a line for a film.

"That's powerful." The Marinette on screen said and I hummed my agreement. It was quiet for a moment, both of us appearing lost in thought before I spoke again.

"What were your parents like?"

"My parents…" She started; tears barely noticeable in her eyes. "Loved each other so much. When my mom walked into the room, my dad would just… light up. They met each other in high school, and that was it."

"He stopped her in her tracks." I commented with a smile, bringing up that fact about the mountain lions from many scenes ago. "And she joined him on the mountain."

Marinette gave me a small smile and nodded slowly. "Exactly."

We continued looking at each other and smiling, though after a couple seconds we both looked down. She was the first one to speak, leaning over to nudge my arm with her shoulder. "This has been really nice, but I um…" When she spoke again she had a strained smile and her voice was a higher pitch. "I have an anatomy final in the morning. I should probably go…"

"Yeah… No problem." I said quietly in agreement, and it was obvious that neither of us really wanted to go. "I'll take you home."

I was the first to stand from where we had been sitting on that bench, and she followed me soon after. The scene changed to show us walking to the outside of the Bourgeois' hotel, where we had that room to use as Marilee's. We were close to the door when we both stopped walking at the same time and turned towards each other.

"Thank you for dinner." She told me with a smile.

I returned her smile as I replied. "Yeah, thank you for accepting my apology."

My smile faded slightly, as did hers as I saw myself leaning slowly towards her then back up quickly, my face both on screen and not turning a shade of pink from embarrassment.

"Well, uh…" Marinette said with an awkward smile. "Good night."

"Yeah, good night." I repeated with a small awkward smile of my own, and I hadn't noticed I had ever so slightly leaned towards her again. "And good luck on your final."

"Thank you." Marinette said. "Yeah." She looked at me for another second before she made a sudden gesture to the door and chuckled nervously. I gave her a small, amused smile as she took the last few steps to the door, and I only looked away when she glanced back at me with another warm smile as she opened the door.

I looked at my expression as Marinette walked inside, seeing that I looked confused and a little in shock. That wasn't too surprising to me, and neither was seeing the smirk Nino was giving me when the scene cut to blackness.

"So…" Nino said with a teasing tone in his voice, causing my face to feel a bit warmer. "What was that?"

"What was what?" I asked, playing dumb as I looked at Nino, trying my best to look confused, but it was obvious it wasn't working.

He let out an amused chuckle and shook his head at me. "Fine." He said. "You can try to argue that you didn't seem like you really enjoyed those scenes with Marinette, or that you weren't actually upset when the date was coming to an end, or that you weren't leaning in towards Marinette for an unscripted kiss."

"Nino!" I said quickly, my face heating up even more. "I-I wasn't going to kiss her!"

"Right." He answered, very obviously not believing a word I said. "Whatever you say, dude."

* * *

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"Girl!" Alya squealed to me after she and Alix took me away from where Adrien and Nino stayed, and we watched the scenes. "You totally almost kissed!"

"What?!" I demanded as my cheeks turned dark red. "N-No! I mean, I know I was maybe-kinda-sort of lost in my own world with him, but Adrien was not! He was just acting like Zachary, who wasn't wanting his date with Marilee to end, by the way!"

"But Marinette," Alix said with a grin. "You are Marilee. Adrien is Zachary."

"So?" I said quickly and crossed my arms. "That doesn't mean anything!"

"Then how do you explain the fact that Adrien was leaning towards you too?" Alya demanded with a wide grin. "I did not write an almost-kiss for Marilee and Zachary! That was entirely on his own!"

"No!" I said quickly. "No, Alya, it wasn't! Adrien was just acting as Zachary, and probably just was way into character!"

I chose to ignore the look that Alya and Alix shared and continued to keep my arms cross. "There's no way that Adrien was actually thinking of me." I continued. "He was just being Zachary on a date with Marilee, nothing more."

"Whatever you say, Marinette." Alya finally said after a long sigh.

"But—" Alix tried to protest, obviously not happy with Alya just giving in.

"I know that it would take a lot of convincing for you, Marinette," Alya continued, cutting Alix off. "To get you to see what we do when we see you and Adrien acting together, but not tonight. We'll just see how the next scenes go, won't we?"

Even though Alix wasn't happy with giving up with that argument for now, and Alya definitely wasn't, they didn't bring it up for the rest of the night. Instead, Alya filled us in on her ideas for upcoming scenes of the film that she hadn't written yet. Though I was excited by her ideas to see what would become of Marilee and Zachary's relationship, somewhere in the back of my mind wondered if the girls were right.

_Was Adrien really leaning in as an out-of-character move?_

_Were all those smiles he gave me just for the film?_

_Would anything between us really change because of this movie?_

I silently sighed to myself and forced the thoughts away. There was no way I'd get so lucky; no way for me to have a Christmas miracle like that happen to me. I wasn't that lucky.


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N: So... I don't think I've ever left an author's note on any chapter of either fanfiction I've posted, but I feel that this one is important to make. I've received a few comments about when I will update and what the schedule is, so I'll just say this:**_

_**I have no schedule for this fanfiction.**_

_**I update as soon as I have a new chapter finished. Even then, sometimes it's a day or two later, sometimes it's sooner, sometimes it's later. But I will say that it shouldn't ever be longer than a week of waiting. It just depends on how busy I am with life.**_

_**Thank you so much for everyone's comments! I really appreciate the feedback (:**_

Chapter 30

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

It was a little weird because Adrien and Nino weren't talking like they normally do. There was a lot of what looked like teasing from Nino based on how much he laughed and grinned, and that Adrien didn't look too particularly happy about it.

As I was trying to very subtly get closer to hear what they were saying from, slowly walking across the snow-covered grass of the park to the tree they were standing under, Alya suddenly appeared in front of me, offering me a large stack of papers.

"What's this?" I asked curiously as I took the papers and looked at the first page. Even as Alya answered, I knew what it was because of what was written on the cover.

"Some more scenes I finished writing yesterday." Alya told me with a smile. "All just between you and Adrien, except for one with the other firemen."

"Are you serious?" I asked with a very hopeful tone. I couldn't help but grin when she nodded in response and I even jumped slightly on the balls of my feet.

"Yep." Alya said, returning my grin happily. "Eight more scenes right there, and I'm working on the scenes to come. I have this idea for scene fifty-four, but I haven't decided if I should use it or not. I think it would be nice, but I don't know if you could handle it."

"Handle what?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow at her. I felt like I could handle next to anything because of how easy it was becoming to talk to Adrien while we were filming. I wasn't spacing off so much anymore!

Though before she could answer, I blurted out another question. "Wait, eight?!" I asked in amazement. "Seven more scenes with Adrien ready?"

"Well, actually Adrien's in all eight." Alya pointed out, reminding me that she had mentioned the other 'firefighters' having another scene ready as well.

"Okay," I agreed, but that wasn't my point. "But you said 'eight'? This doesn't look like eight."

"That's because some of them are really short scenes that are just showing how much time Zachary and Marilee are spending together." Alya said. "Really, they won't take long to film at all."

I sighed dreamily, imagining what it would be like if it were actually Adrien and I spending so much time together, not just the characters we were playing for this film.

I was very sure that this whole romance film in which Adrien are the two leads was just a plot of hers to get us to end up together for real, and even though I dint' think it would actually work out that well when it was all over, it definitely seemed that Adrien had grown a little closer since we started this film.

I mean, I could actually say my lines normally around him now! That in itself was a HUGE step up!

"So…" Alya said, taking me out of my thoughts. "Do you want to hear that idea I had for a scene that'll be coming up fairly soon?"

I nodded in response after I took a couple seconds to remember what she was referring to. "Yeah, I'd like to know what it is that you think I can't handle."

Alya smirked at me, and it was so big that she couldn't properly speak for a moment, which only made me more suspicious. "Just tell me, Alya." I told her with a small smile of my own. "It can't be that bad."

"Oh, no." Alya said, shaking her head slightly and holding up a hand for emphasis. "It's not bad." She still hesitated from saying her idea, and it was starting to annoy me, though she lifted the remaining packets in her arm. "I still have to give these out to everyone, so I'll tell you more about it later."

"Alya…" I said her name with a whine as I watched her take another set of the scenes from the stack and offer them to me. I took them without question though I was still confused as to why she'd give me another copy of all the scenes she just gave me.

"Another brilliant idea of mine: Go give those to Adrien for me." Alya told me with a smile. "Maybe you can run through those seven scenes with him."

I held the papers and stared at them for a moment as I though about what Alya was telling me to do. Finally, I looked up again, my mouth opened to protest, but I saw that she was already heading towards where Ivan was with Mylene, no doubt going to give him his scene with the other 'firefighters'.

I looked towards where I knew Adrien would still be with Nino, and it took me by surprise when green eyes met mine. I felt myself blush, wondering why he would've been looking towards me in the first place, and felt even more confused when he looked away from me, seeming to try to look anywhere else but at me. Meanwhile, Nino was having a hard time not doubling over with laughter.

_I'm going to kill her…_

I took in a deep breath to clear my head as much as I could, then exhaled slowly. "You can do this, Marinette. It's just Adrien. There's nothing to overreact about." Even as I quietly muttered to myself while forcing my feet to take me to him, my heart started racing.

Even though he seemed to try not to look at me, it was the way he was reacting to whatever Nino was doing. The way he rolled his eyes and tried not to smile though his cheeks were noticeably a light shade of red. It was so cute!

_Why does he have to be so… him?!_

Everything was going fine despite my heart beating rapidly in my chest as I approached him. I was even feeling a little more confident in how I'd try to go about a conversation with him. That was, at least, until I stumbled over something I didn't see in the snow; probably a rock or a stick or something.

I let out a cry as I fell forward, arms flailing as if I hoped to stop my fall using the air as support. I saw the papers fall out of my hands and land on the ground, but before I joined them in the now, I felt hands gripping my arms, stopping my fall and holding me steady.

"Are you okay?" I heard his voice first, then my eyes snapped up to look into Adrien's green ones. I stared at him in shock for a second before I started giggling nervously. "Fine!" I said a little too loudly then quickly went down to pick up both of the packets. Thankfully, the snow hadn't done anything to get the paper too wet.

Adrien watched me curiously as I kept my attention on the papers as I struggled to straighten them out after dropping them. I avoided looking at him, and ignored Nino's laughter, as my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Though, the laughter slowly became quieter, telling me that Nino was walking away. Which meant…

I glanced up quickly and smiled awkwardly when my eyes met Adrien's concerned ones, then looked back down again just as quickly.

_Yep. Nino left me alone with Adrien._

_Maybe I'll kill him too…_

After what felt like a lifetime, I was finally satisfied enough with the condition of the packets, then held his out to him quickly, making him take a quick step back in surprise. "These are yours." I said, relieved as I could feel my embarrassment from my almost trip fading away. "They're your next eight scenes."

Adrien took the papers, giving me a small smile, then started to flip through the pages. His eyebrows raised in what appeared to be surprise. "Are all of these scenes for the two of us?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, no." I answered quickly. "No, there's one of you with the other guys."

"At the fire station." Adrien muttered to himself and slowly shook his head to himself as he flipped back to the cover page then smiled at me. "So that means seven together."

I nodded slowly, feeling awkward as I shuffled my feet. "Yep." I answered. I really didn't know what else to say. I still wasn't sure about how he felt about all of this romance stuff between us, or our characters at least. None of it was real, and to avoid getting my hopes up, I just had to keep telling myself that.

"We… could practice?" Adrien suggested after we were both quiet for a few seconds.

I slowly nodded in response, fighting a huge smile as my heart thumped so loud I was afraid he could hear it too. "We could…"

"Would you like to?" He asked curiously, to which I slowly nodded again. He smiled and let out a breath, which I almost mistaken for relief, but I couldn't kid myself. I couldn't give myself false hope.

* * *

Alya pulled me away from everyone else with an excited gleam in her eye that honestly kind of scared me. "So…?" She questioned, and immediately I blushed because I knew exactly what she was getting at.

"Nothing." I answered quickly. "Nothing happened. We just read over our scenes together."

"Right." Alya said, nodding, though I knew she was not convinced one bit. "You two have really grown closer these past couple weeks, you know."

"Yeah, thanks to us being the stars of a romance movie." I said, blushing a little more. "But that doesn't mean anything. Nothing's changed between us, other than the fact I've gotten better at speaking and acting properly around him."

"You can't tell me that Adrien doesn't seem to see you differently though." Alya told me, and though she didn't speak too quickly, I was taken aback by what she said.

"What?"

"Moving on." Alya said quickly with a small, mischievous grin. "Now, about that idea I mentioned earlier, that you are totally going to shut down because you're too scared—"

"I am not scared." I said stubbornly, cutting her off. "Just tell me what this idea of yours is."

Alya grinned at me, obviously hesitating for dramatic effect, and I knew she was really enjoying how impatient I was getting as I slowly nodded, urging her on. "Okay, so… I'm wanting to let Marilee hang up a little mistletoe—"

"What?!" I demanded, my face heating up much more than before. "Alya, why?!"

"So she and Zachary can share their first kiss, duh." Alya said, and although she shrugged my questions off, she was grinning at me and I knew she expected this kind of reaction.

"But that would mean _Adrien_ and _I_ kiss!" I said, making sure to lower my voice so instead of exclaiming it to the entire park, I just whisper-shouted at her. "I can't do that, Alya!"

"Okay, okay." Alya said, snickering at my flustered reaction at the thought of kissing him. "See? I told you that you wouldn't like the idea, so we'll scratch the kiss. However, the mistletoe stays."

"But—"

"I've already had the next scene you have with Rose all planned out, and I'm almost finished writing it!" Alya said, interrupting me. "The mistletoe stays!"

I didn't like that idea at all. I didn't want to kiss Adrien yet because I knew it would be just for the movie. Although I knew there was one that had to come up to make this a true romance film, I'd rather it be at the very end, so that way afterwards I could die of embarrassment and not have to worry about my role needing to be filled.

"Fine." I finally said with a heavy sigh. I wasn't looking forward too much to having mistletoe, but I suppose that there had to be at least a little bit, seeing as this was a Christmas romance movie. I mean, just because there's going to be mistletoe doesn't mean that there's going to be a kiss too.

Right..?

Marilee could just put it up, leave it up for a couple days, then take it down again when it was obvious there wouldn't be a kiss. I mean, that's what I would do if I was serious about getting a kiss with Adrien.

My face heated up more at the thought, causing Alya's laughter to fill my ears, as well as the sound of my pounding heart. I really, really need to stop imagining things like that happening with Adrien. It was so embarrassing, but more importantly, I knew it would never happen anyway.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I can't believe Nino was saying those things to me, especially while Marinette was nearby and could've heard what was being said. Ever since we watched the date scenes together, Nino hasn't let me forget the way I had leaned a little closer to me, nor do I think he will let me forget.

Today he was also including the fact that he swears that Marinette had leaned a little closer to me too, but I quickly dismissed it. There's no way Marinette would have been leaning closer, and even if she did it definitely wasn't for the same reason Nino claimed that I leaned closer to her. I'm not wanting to put her in the position of some unscripted kiss, even if I kind of do want one.

My cheeks burned at the last thought and I let out a heavy sigh. I was really glad no one was paying attention to me at the moment, since Nino was getting the playback of the four scenes we just filmed ready while everyone else waited to watch, and Marinette was talking with the other girls: Alya, Alix, Sabrina, and Rose.

The girls were quite giggly, but I had no idea why. I didn't really care too much either about what they found so amusing, except I was curious to know what was making Marinette smile like that.

_Stop it, Adrien. Stop looking at her and stop thinking about her._

Thankfully, it was only another minute longer before Nino announced that the scenes were ready to be viewed. I inwardly sighed with relief, knowing that I'd be taken out of this battle of my thoughts however temporary it might be.

I was glad that, even though Nino found a place to watch the scenes next to me, the girls were sitting in a cluster in front of us. It was nice that none of them knew how hard of a time I was having while I tried to avoid paying Marinette too much attention. I had no idea one of my best friends could have so much of an effect on me.

The first of the four recently recorded scenes started by showing the University of Veterinary Medicine that was written on the university before the camera panned down to show Rose and Marinette walking away from the building.

"That test was so hard." Rose said with a groan.

"Oh, I'm sure you did fine." Marinette responded encouragingly.

"At least it was the last one." Rose let out a sigh before she grinned happily at Marinette and said her next line with a sing-song voice. "'Cause Christmas break is finally here!"

Marinette let out a small chuckle at Rose's excitement, but when she looked away from her, her smile faded, and she stopped in her tracks. The camera switched from showing her expression to show that she saw me sitting on the edge of a small stone wall near hedges on the university campus.

I saw myself sit up straighter and smile when I caught her gaze. "Hi." She said, sounding confused.

"Hi." I returned with a small wave then stood up and started to walk in her direction. "How did the test go?"

"I-I think I did pretty well." Marinette answered with a small nod, glancing at Rose who had stopped next to her and was giving her a look that demanded an explanation, then looked at me again.

"Great." I said, still smiling at her. "Can I take you out for coffee to celebrate?"

Rose had been looking at me in surprise, then looked at Marinette. "That's Green Eyes?" She asked with a lowered voice, as if offended she hadn't been told earlier.

"Okay, shh…" Marinette told her in a demanding tone.

"Hi." I said, greeting Rose, who quickly looked at me with grin.

"Hi." She replied as the two girls smiled at me. I smiled at her before my attention went back to Marinette.

"You know what, dinner was enough." She told me, causing Rose's offended look to come back as she faced her.

"You went out to dinner with him?!" She asked, and though her tone was quieter again, I remember that I had heard it plainly while we were being filmed. Marinette gave her another look, but Rose cut her off as she smiled happily. "Let him take you for coffee."

Both girls turned toward me again, Marinette with a strained smile and Rose with an excited grin. "Yeah." The latter said, nodding frantically.

"Yeah," I agreed. "And besides… you still have my coat, and um… you know, I kind of need that back."

Rose looked at Marinette and nodded slowly. "Mhmm." She hummed, putting an arm on Marinette's and pushing her towards me. "Go!"

Marinette gave me another small, shy smile, and as I turned to walk with her, Marinette looked over her shoulder when Rose called after us. "Have fun!"

Rose was shown again, waving at Marinette then muttered, "cute" under her breath. I let out a small breath of amusement when I saw the expression she gave Marinette of 'don't you screw this up'.

The scene changed to show Marinette and I walking down the street together, after we went out for coffee, which we actually did for fun in between filming scenes.

"I love that coffee shop." Marinette told me with a smile. "I've never been there before."

"Yeah," I agreed with a smile. "Well, firemen and policemen always know where the best coffee is."

Marinette's smile instantly faded though when we got to the door of 'Marilee's' house. "Oh no…" She muttered and it caused my smile to completely vanish when she rushed to the open door.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at her with concern.

Marinette turned to look at me at the door with a panicked expression. "She found Queenie." She told me, then disappeared inside. I stood, a little confused, before I eventually followed her in.

Marinette rushed into the house, and that fireman's jacket was visible, laying across the arm of a chair near the door. She slowed her steps until she stopped, staring in shock. The camera angle changed to show Sabrina, playing Mrs. Winnamucker, Marilee's landlord, turn from where she stood at a kitchen counter.

"I knew you were hiding something." Sabrina said in an annoyed, yet satisfied tone as she walked towards me. "A plumber came in to check on the sink, and guess what he found?"

She held up a white paper to show Marinette that had 'NOTICE OF EVICTION' written at the top, with a red stamp lower on the page that read 'OFFICIAL'. Marinette took the paper quickly while Sabrina gave her a smile.

"Where is she?" Marinette asked.

"I put her in the back." Sabrina answered, then turned as Marinette moved around her and walked further into the hotel room.

"Queenie, Sweetie?" Marinette called, then let out relieved sighs as Sabrina let out an exasperated one and shook her head disapprovingly, and picked up the cat. "Hey, Sweetie, are you okay? Were you scared?"

"This is a clear violation of Angel Arm's bylaws." Sabrina said to Marinette, who froze in her steps when she started to speak again, cradling Queenie against her chest. "It's a class two infraction which clearly spells out—"

"I assume you gave this tenant a forty-eight-hour notice before a service person entered the residence?" I said, cutting Sabrina off as I walked through the door.

"W-Well, I-I'm not sure if—" Sabrina started, turning towards me.

"How about fire codes?" I added, interrupting her again as I held up my wallet that had a badge in it with a fireman's ID, not real of course, but convincing for the film. "Are you up to date on the four hundred fifty-six fire codes pertaining to apartment buildings? And the mandatory bylaws stipulated in the state's statutes?"

"W-Well, I-I—"

"I'll be back next week to make sure that you're in compliance with each and every state and city fire code." I told her, cutting her off for the last time. "I hope I won't have to write you a seven seventy-seven. Shut down your apartment building."

After Sabrina stood for a second, looking confused and panicked, she hurried out of the room, leaving me to noticed again, that small, shy, and admiring smile Marinette was giving me that made my heartbeat increase both while we were filming, and now as I watched it again.

The scene changed again to show Marinette and I walking out to that blue truck, each carrying armfuls of 'Marilee's' personal items. "Thank you so much." She told me. "I can't thank you enough."

"It's not a problem." I said, and we were quiet for a moment as we reached the bed of the truck and started to load the bags and loose items into it. I put down what I had been holding first on the sidewalk next to the truck, then took what Marinette was holding and put it into the back as she muttered another "thank you".

"I'm sorry that I couldn't keep her from evicting you." I told her, and she shook her head with a quick, "no" as a response, though I continued while still loading the truck as she held Queenie. "But I'll make her life as miserable as I can for a while."

"Well, I guess I can stay at my sister's house." Marinette said, looking at all of the things in the back of the truck. "I don't know how Queenie will survive her dogs though."

I was quiet for a moment as I looked like I was thinking of a solution, then spoke. "I have an idea."

"Oh, yeah?" Marinette asked with interest before the scene changed again to show the truck parked outside the entrance to Marinette's home. Although I didn't drive it anywhere, I got out of the driver's seat and Marinette climbed out of the passenger side.

"Wow…" She breathed as she looked at the exterior. "This house is amazing."

"It will be once I get it painted." I said, then smiled at her as she still looked at the house in awe, then turned to walk to the front door. "Come on."

"Oh wow…" She said again in awe when we walked into the house. I closed the door behind her after I held it open. "This house is great."

She gasped and smiled as she stood in the doorway, around the room. "I love the chrome molding, and the hardwood floors…" She trailed off then turned to see the rest of the entryway. "The staircase is beautiful…"

"Thank you." I said, giving her a smile. "I built it."

Marinette gave me a look of surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah." I said with a nod.

"Wow."

"Come on, I'll give you the two-cent tour." I said, turning and walking down the hall. "There's an apartment upstairs with a separate entrance. It's not much, but you're welcome to it until you can find a place."

"Oh…" Marinette said as she followed me further down the hall and I showed her to the kitchen. I stopped at the doorway, letting her enter first, and she smiled with a quiet "thank you" then looked around for a second before turning to me. "But, I-I couldn't do that. I couldn't impose."

"No, please, I insist." I told her. "I'm the reason you got fired."

Marinette gave me a small smile before she held up Queenie in her arms. "Do you allow cats?"

"Allow them?" I asked, hiding an amused smile. "We require them. You can't stay here unless you have at least one cat."

Marinette gave me a small amused smile, though it disappeared when she continued. "I'm going to pay rent." She said, but I shook my head.

"That's not necessary." I said, then leaned down to pick up Ambrose who had walked to me. "But you could help out around the house if you want. Maybe you can take care of Ambrose while I'm at work."

"I think he likes her." I added, then looked up from the cats to meet her eyes and returned her smile.

"Yeah, Queenie's usually so shy, but I think she likes him too." She said, then we spent a few seconds just looking and smiling at each other, which I hadn't realized at the time when we were filming.

"Yeah, I guess this could work." Marinette continued, breaking our eye-contact. "Us living together. Well, not living together, you know… sleeping together. Not sleeping together, but you know, under the-the same roof. Y-You know what I mean."

As she spoke, my smile from a few seconds ago had faded, only to return again with amusement. "Yeah, I do." I said then let out a breath of laughter.

"I'm going to stay out of your way." Marinette told me, obviously still embarrassed by what she said earlier. "You won't even know that I'm here. I should have a new job and somewhere to live by the end of the week."

"No hurry." I said, giving her a small smile. "We should get your stuff though; I have to go to work soon. Just make yourself at home."

Marinette smiled shyly at me and muttered a very quiet, "okay" as I turned to walk away, then followed me as if we were going to go get the things unloaded out of the truck.

The camera showed blackness and no more sound came except from the girls sitting in front of Nino and I. They seemed to finally let out all their giggles and whispers they had been holding back as the scenes played for us. Although I had no idea what they were saying, the brief idea that they may have been talking about me crossed my mind when I saw Marinette turn to look at me over her shoulder.

Despite her cheeks being a slight red color, she gave me that same small, shy smile she gave me while we were filming. Instantly, I felt my cheeks heating up as I returned the smile. I knew it was probably something entirely different, but part of me really hoped that I was what was causing her cheeks to appear as if she were blushing.

It felt as if my cheeks heated up more from the thought, and I was the first of the two of us to look away when my eyes went down to my lap. I knew this crush I was developing on Marinette was only growing, and it definitely didn't help that she looked at me like that, on top of being the kindest girl I know.

I knew that she and I had been friends since we first met, after I cleared up that chewing gum incident, but I also knew it was okay to have this crush on her. It was hard not to after all, especially when she's such an amazing girl. Maybe I'd get lucky enough to get her to return my feelings, and though I didn't think I would ever get that lucky, a boy could sure dream.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I hadn't felt this nervous about something concerning Adrien in a long time. Granted, 'a long time' might only be a few days, but I was confused and didn't really understand what was going on with him. He's started to act strange when we're not filming, even though it seems to go away when we are. Then again, I knew he'd be a great actor.

The next scene we'd be filming together was at my house, and I knew that room that was going to be repainted for the movie had to be finished before we filmed. My parents said that they would do as much as they could to get it finished while we were at school, but with their work in the bakery, I didn't think it would be finished right after school like we'd hope.

I was telling Alya about this, and she dismissed the problem. "It's okay." She told me. "We can get that room finished as soon as we get to your house after school."

Nino and Adrien had overheard and joined in on the conversation. "I'm sure it won't take too long." Nino said. "We can have it finished in no time. Besides, the scenes to follow are short and won't take long at all."

"Yeah," Adrien agreed with a smile. "We can head over as soon as school gets out."

"Actually, I can't be there as soon as school gets out." Nino told us. "I'll be getting all the equipment ready to take over, and that will probably take about half an hour or so."

"And I'll be busy too." Alya added with a nod and a smirk that told me she was up to something. "I'll be helping Nino."

"Oh, well I'm sure Marinette and I could handle painting, just the two of us." Adrien said with a smile. "Right, Marinette?"

"Right." I answered with a confident tone, though I gave Alya a skeptical look. Something told me that she and Nino being away while Adrien and I would be alone together wasn't just some coincidence. But I couldn't be too unhappy since I was really happy to be spending more time with Adrien. Nervous, yes, but really excited.

* * *

It turned out that my parents decided to surprise me by starting the painting process for us while the bakery was closed for my parents to eat a quick late lunch. When Adrien and I got to the room, the previous red shade had been completely replaced by a white.

"So we don't have to paint after all?" Adrien asked as he looked around the freshly painted room. Furniture was still covered with white plastic sheets, and there was one bucket of paint left with two paint rollers and a few brushes nearby, as well as two trays to hold the paint.

I didn't answer as I walked over to the paint bucket still on the floor and picked it up. "Eggshell…" I muttered then turned to Adrien with an amused smile, holding up the bucket for him to see too when he walked over. "Nope. We have one more layer of paint."

"Another layer?" Adrien asked as he walked over to me, then read the shade of white to himself. Then he looked at the already painted wall with a small smile of amusement. "That must be ecru."

"A layer of eggshell over ecru." I said, nodding my head to confirm his statement, then shook my head and sighed. "Of course Alya would make us have the exact shade of white on the walls as she wrote in the scene."

Adrien chuckled as he picked up the two rollers and held one out to me. "Well, let's get painting."

I chuckled as well as I opened the bucket of paint and poured some into each of the trays. It was only after I put the paint down that I remembered something. "Our clothes." I said, looking at him. "We need to change first."

I was confused for a few seconds when Adrien turned to me with an amused grin, but didn't say anything. "Oh!" I said suddenly. "Right! Umm, maybe my dad will have something you can wear?"

"I seriously doubt his clothes would fit me." Adrien said, still smiling in amusement as he crossed his arms.

I let out a long breath of exasperation, trying to think of something that could be done to ensure he didn't get paint on his designer clothing. I was kind of annoyed that he offered no help to come up with a situation, but rather watched me try to work something out with that amused smirk of his.

_He's lucky he's cute._

I let out a groan of defeat and turned away from him. "I'll be back." I said over my shoulder as I walked towards the doorway to leave him and head to my room to change.

It was only when I was pulling on my overalls that I realized how calm I seemed around Adrien just now when I was down there. Anytime the thought of him being attractive crossed my mind, my face turned ablaze, and I had a hard time thinking straight.

Maybe it was because I had just found something about him that annoyed me? I scoffed at the thought immediately, knowing full well that I'd never been able to even imagine Adrien Agreste as someone who could ever annoy me. Yet, here I was thinking about how I had in fact been annoyed with him, even if it was temporary.

I didn't think that small fact would make much of a difference to how I see him, and how I feel about him, but it really did. Thinking about how Adrien Agreste, Mr. Perfect, annoyed me made me feel… Happy.

It was a confirmation that the boy really isn't perfect, and it made me love him more. Suddenly Adrien Agreste wasn't some unobtainable dream; he was real. He's an imperfect human, just like me, and I loved him so much for that.

I felt so happy as I headed back downstairs and into the painted room to tackle the situation about protecting Adrien's clothes that it took me a moment to take in what a big dork he looked like, grinning at me.

* * *

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

_Marinette is adorable when she's distressed._

I could tell that it didn't make her very happy when I didn't offer any possible solutions to keep my clothes protected from the paint, but in my defense, I couldn't think of any. I probably could have if I wasn't distracted by the way her eyes and eyebrows narrowed slightly as she thought, the way she lit up when she had an idea, and remembering her concerned expression when she stated the problem, not worried about her own clothes, but mine.

I knew she had left to change her own clothes when she didn't comeback within the next minute. I didn't have too long to think about what I was supposed to do in the meantime before Marinette's father found me standing alone near the paint ready to be used.

"Where's Marinette?" He asked me curiously.

My eyes instantly raised in the direction of her room. "She went to change her clothes before we paint."

"And what about you?" Tom asked me, raising an eyebrow curiously. I only shrugged in response, telling him that I didn't have a change of clothes.

"I see." He told me and gave me a small smile. "Give me a moment."

He came back with a large green shirt and offered it to me. "Wear this over your clothes." I didn't argue as I slipped it on over my head and let out a breath of amusement. Even though the sleeves were short compared to the rest of the shirt, they ended just past my elbows if my arms were at my sides. The shirt was very, very baggy and ended at my knees.

"Are you sure?" I asked, looking at Tom questioningly, who was also smiling in amusement.

"Absolutely." He replied with a short nod. "I better head back down to the bakery. I came up here to make sure you two knew what you needed to do to finish painting the walls. Marinette shouldn't be too much longer."

"Thank you, Sir." I said with a smile, still inspecting how his shirt fit me.

"No problem, Adrien." Tom replied, and after giving me one last smile, he left the room with me still waiting for Marinette. It only took another minute before she made an appearance in the doorway. It took me a moment to take in her new appearance, and I knew I was blushing as I did so.

She wore a simple, plain dark purple t-shirt under a set of light blue denim overalls, and her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. A very simple look, yet it looked amazing on her. Thankfully, she didn't notice me staring as I took in her appearance since she was too busy taking in mine.

That adorable, confused expression of hers made me grin stupidly at her as I raised my arms slightly to show that the shirt was really too large a size for me. The way she started giggling in amusement at me made my heart skip, and it was only confirmed to me that I really like this girl.

"That's got to be one of my dad's shirts." Marinette told me, still smiling widely at me after she finished laughing even though her pretty blue eyes were still sparkling.

"It is." I confirmed with a nod. "He came up to check on us, and ended up giving me this to wear while you were busy changing."

"I see." She nodded, and after a few more seconds of looking at me, started to giggle again. "It looks very nice on you."

"Noting the sarcasm; Choosing to ignore it." I responded, satisfied when it resulted in more laughter from her. "Now," I continued as I picked up the paint rollers again and offered her one. "Shall we get to painting?" Marinette gave me a dazzling smile that was still full of her amusement as she nodded and took the offered paint roller.

* * *

"And…" Marinette trailed off after about an hour of painting. "I believe we are finished."

I looked over at her from where I had been cleaning off our rollers and the brush I used for touch-ups in a bucket of water that Sabine had brought in for us not long ago to use when we were done, and I saw Marinette smiling to herself, despite some paint she got on her clothes.

I smiled as I looked at her, then walked over. When I stood next to her, I looked at the wall and smiled as well, though I was thinking about how cute she was with paint on her already cute outfit. "Hmm… I think you missed a spot."

"What?" She asked, her smile vanishing as her eyes scanned the wall. "Really? Where?"

"May I?" I asked, holding out a hand for the brush she held, with a mischievous smirk on my face. Even though I made no effort to hide it, she gave me the brush without looking in my direction, still looking for the spot she missed.

"Marinette." I said her name, causing her to turn to look at me, and her curious expression had me thinking she believed I was pointing the missed spot out to her. Instead, the moment she turned towards me, I moved the brush towards her and painted a vertical line on her nose.

I watched with immediate satisfaction as her expression changed to confusion and curiosity, to surprise and amusement. "Adrien!" She scolded, causing me to laugh while quickly backing away from her to avoid retaliation.

I was right to expect payback, because the next thing I knew she was dipping her fingers into the paint and started to chase me around the room. Our laughter filled in any possible silence as we ran around covered furniture, still putting paint on each other.

It was another one of my turns to get her back for more paint added to my cheeks from her fingers, and I was trying to catch her to get more paint somewhere on her face. However, that mission was instantly forgotten when she tripped with a yelp and started to fall to the hardwood floor beneath us.

I dove towards her, catching her as she fell, and we rolled a couple times before we came to a stop. Although she was laying on the ground now, my hand had been cradling her head and saved her from the blow. She stared up at me as I hovered over her, knees on either side of her legs, then started giggling again. I joined in; both of our laughs breathless from the running around and falling.

She had smears of paint all over her face, and I knew I did as well, but that didn't stop me from staring at her with a smile once our laughter died down. Before I knew what I was doing, I started to move down closer to her, and I couldn't tell if she was leaning closer to, or if it was just the hand holding her head that was working mindlessly, but before I got too close to her, we both froze and our eyes widened when we heard someone clear their throat in the doorway.

"I hope we aren't interrupting anything." Alya said, arms crossed with a grin on her face. Nino stood just behind her, holding the first of the equipment that was to be brought it, wearing a smirk that was sent directly to me.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I know it's been a few days longer than usual since I've updated, and although I love receiving comments saying that y'all really enjoy and love reading this story, I at times feel as if I'm rushed to complete a chapter just to satisfy the request to "update!"**  
**(I'm not quoting anyone in specific, as I've gotten many of these comments. Not just from FFN, but also Wattpad, AO3, and Amino)**

**Anyway, my main point of this note is that I'd like to explain why my updates will fall behind occasionally for a while. I recently had a few projects I had to finish for classes, which took time away from my writing time, and my English college class also just started.**

**I am still a junior in high school, taking a dual credit English class. Although this normally shouldn't be a big deal since dual credit classes are normally taken in place of the core class, but I am taking it in place of an elective instead, so instead of only one English class, I'm taking two.**

**I also despise English class, which doesn't help really, since I tend to lose my motivation for a while because of writing assignments. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love reading and writing, but I hate having to do it the way a teacher expects me to write.**

**Anyway, I'm not getting into that. This is my reasoning though, to why my updates might not be so frequent. On a different note, a huge plus side to this busy schedule of mine is that I won't have an English class next year, which means I'll have more free time and motivation to write.**

**I wasn't planning on doing this, but I've actually written two more chapters today when I sat down to write one. Actually, what I had planned for just one chapter is going to turn into three, maybe four. What I think are fun, entertaining and adorable moments between our two lovebirds were completely unplanned and included as I wrote that part of the chapter.**

**Anyway, I'll end this long note so you all can enjoy what I've written so far.**

* * *

Chapter 33

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

My face burned with embarrassment as Alya tried to get all the details about what happened between Adrien and me. We were currently in the bathroom while Alya helped me clean up from the painting war I had.

"Alya, all we did was paint the room." I told her again as I had to wash some paint out of my hair. "We didn't do anything else."

"Then why were both of you wearing about as much paint on yourselves as was put on the walls?" Alya retorted, that smirk still not leaving her face.

"That is a complete overstatement." I told her as I rolled my eyes, but I still smiled dreamily to myself as I remembered how it felt to do that with Adrien.

Alya noticed my smile, of course, and it only caused her smirk to grow into a grin. "So… Who started it?"

"Adrien." I answered with a bright smile and looked at Alya. "He purposefully got paint on my nose, so I had to get him back!"

"And naturally it turned into a paint battle." Alya chuckled.

"Yes!" I said with a laugh. When it died down, I was still smiling happily. "It was so much fun, Alya. I haven't heard him laugh like that in a really long time."

Alya took the rag from the spot she was cleaning on my overalls and rinsed it in the sink before going to another bit of paint on me. "Was it that same magical laugh of his that you heard when that umbrella closed on you forever ago?"

I nodded quickly and grinned. "Yes, but this was so much better." I let out a sigh of contentment before saying, "I really like him, Alya."

"I know." Alya chuckled. "I know you do, and you know what? I think he likes you too."

"What?" I asked quickly, my eyes snapping onto her from the daydream I was having, lost in the most recent memory I made with him.

Alya still didn't look at me as she smirked. "I think you should ask him on a date. I'm positive he'll accept."

"No, no, no." I said quickly, feeling my cheeks heat up again. "He and I are just friends! At least, that's how he sees us. I know I was one of his first friends, and I really don't want to ruin it for him."

She gave me a skeptical look, but I looked away from her again quickly and continued to wash out my hair. "He was about to kiss you when Nino and I walked in, and I bet he would've if we didn't interrupt."

I shook my head in response, but I couldn't bring myself to verbally deny it. Part of me hoped and wanted her to be right, but I knew she wasn't. I know Adrien doesn't see me as more than a friend, and I can't get my hopes up and think he really does.

"I don't mind being just his friend, Alya, really." I told her. "Besides, I really like being his friend."

"I know you do." Alya said with a smile. "And I guarantee that he likes being your friend too. I mean, who else could get Mr. Perfect willing to be coated with paint?"

I chuckled to myself and shook my head at her statement. "He is far from perfect."

I looked at Alya when I sensed her freezing and saw her staring at me in shock. "Who are you and what have you done with Marinette?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head again. "I know I've always thought he was perfect, Alya, but I've realized he isn't."

"And what happened to make you think that?" Alya questioned, clearly intrigued.

"He annoyed me." I said with a happy smile. "He made me kind of mad at him, and it was wonderful."

Alya looked at me for a few more seconds then started laughing. "What did he do that made you finally realize the boy is far from perfect?"

"I was trying to think of a way to make sure his clothes weren't going to get paint on them." I started explaining. "And I was really worrying because they're designers, of course, and I doubt his father would be happy if he got paint on them, but all he could do was stand there and look at me as if it amused him to see me so distressed!"

"Girl, I do that, yet you don't swoon over me." Alya said with a small chuckle.

"That is very different, and you know it." I retorted, and though I tried to appear annoyed, I still gave her a small amused smile.

"I can't believe that you were annoyed with the boy for smiling at you." Alya said with a snicker. "I would have though you would have fainted."

"It was mocking." I said defensively. "Cute, yes, but still mocking."

Alya rolled her eyes at me playfully as she washed off the rag again. We finally seemed to be able to get all the paint off. "You think everything about Adrien is cute."

I only smiled to myself in response. Alya was very right, and I wasn't about to deny it. I was so in love with him, that I only felt intense happiness at the smallest thought of Adrien Agreste.

* * *

We finished filming the next scenes easily. The thing that took longest was moving around to each location, and to change into new clothes for each scene. Though, it was a lot of fun, filled with lots of times with Adrien teasing me. He seemed to really enjoy it when I'd squeal from surprise when he'd randomly poke me, or when I jumped when he spoke behind me suddenly in between scenes.

The truth is, I really enjoyed it too. Each time he did something that he must have thought would have bothered me, I smiled at him, unable to hide my happiness from even him. I love spending time with him, and it made me very happy at the thought that he liked spending time with me too.

Though, the evening of filming and fun had to come to an end. There was one last thing left on the to-do list before we all separated, and that was to head back to my house to watch and be proud of what we got done that day.

"I think that was the most scenes we've filmed in a day." Nino said with a smile as everyone took a seat around my living room. He had connected his camera footage to the television so the four of us, Alix, and my parents, could watch the scenes.

Alix nodded in agreement and laughed from the place she chose to sit on the floor next to Alya below where I sat on the couch. "And the least amount of takes we've gone through."

I scoffed in response. "But that's only because the majority of the scenes were super short."

"I don't think that was the only reason though." Adrien spoke up, and I instantly blushed when I realized he had taken a seat next to me of the couch. "It seems like Marinette and I are getting a lot better at filming together, especially when it's only the two of us in a scene."

I barely acknowledged his statement as I looked past him to see Nino on his other side. If I remember right, Nino had just been sitting next to me, in between Adrien and I. Did that mean they had switched seats, or was I mistaken earlier? And if they had changed seats, how did they do it without me noticing and why?

My eyes traveled to Alya instantly at my last thought and I saw her smirking at me. That's when it all made sense. Alya must have somehow silently told Nino to switch seats with Adrien so I'd be sitting next to him. Apparently there was no way she'd except my resolution to just be Adrien's friend.

"You two seem to have a lot of fun together." I heard Alix say, so I turned my attention to her to see her looking at Adrien and I. "It was a good choice to make the two of you the leads."

I smiled to myself and looked at my hands in my laps as I blushed softly, but I quickly looked to my side when I felt an elbow lightly prod me.

"I agree." Adrien said as he gave me a smile, then lowered his voice and moved a little closer to me so I was the only one to hear him continue. "I'd really like it if we could spend more time together outside of school, aside from this project."

I felt my heart beating faster in my chest, and I froze for a few seconds before I choked out an answer. "Okay." I said quietly, then took a light breath to collect my thoughts enough to continue. "Yeah, I'd like that too."

Adrien seemed to light up even more by my response and moved away to his previous position. "So, are we ready to watch the next scenes?"

"Sure are." Nino said with a smile. "Everyone ready?" When no one else said another word for a few seconds and turned to the screen, Nino started to play what we just recorded on my family's television.

First, the outside of the house was shown from a short couple seconds of film that Nino got a few nights ago for this scene. Then, I was seen smiling with satisfaction and as I tiled my head to the side, Adrien was seen walking through the door in the background. He put down a duffle bag then started my way.

"It's perfect." He said, looking around the room with a smile. I turned and smiled at him in surprise.

"It's a layer of eggshell over ecru." I told him then turned back to look at the newly painted wall with a smile. "It's really the only way to get pearl."

"It's the exact shade of white that I wanted, but couldn't find." Adrien said and I turned around again to look at him. He looked very surprised and almost confused. "How did you do all this?"

"Well, school's on Christmas break, and…" I trailed off as I smiled at him in amusement. "I don't have a job."

"Huh." Adrien smiled, though he acknowledged the fact once again that he, or rather his character, was the reason Marilee had been fired, even though that wasn't even true that it was him. It was Blair, Chloe's character, or ex-character since she was finished with the film completely.

"It's the least I could do for you rescuing Queenie and me." I said with a smile then put the paint roller I had been holding onto a red painting tray at the top of a small ladder.

"Thank you." Adrien said. "It looks really great."

"I'm used to having so much to do." I explained when I turned to him again. "I'm—uh… I'm not very good at doing nothing."

"Well, I appreciate it." He said with a smile, then I turned and picked up other painting tools that were laid out as if I had been using them.

"Look at those two." Adrien said after letting out a breath of amusement. We both looked over to see Ambrose and Queenie sitting next to each other on a covered chair.

"They haven't left each other's side since they met." I commented.

"I'm glad they're getting along so well." Adrien said.

As soon as he finished speaking, I started to walk in the direction of where the cats were. "There's chicken and potatoes on the stove if you're hungry."

"Oh, smells great." He commented as I picked up Queenie. "Where'd you get it from?"

"Oh, I cooked." I replied, turning to him. "I hope you don't mind; I connected the stove."

Adrien gave me a shocked look then glanced towards the kitchen. "You—Really?"

"Yeah." I answered simply.

"Wow." Adrien said, obviously very surprised. "That's…"

"Well, I'll um… I'll see you later." I said with a small smile when it was obvious he was having a hard time thinking of what to say. His eyes followed me when I turned away from him and walked past towards the doorway.

"Uh, it—" Adrien spoke up, seeming to be struggling to come up with something quick to say. "It was pretty quiet at the station, so I'm not tired… uh… If you wanted to… stay and eat with me?" He offered me a small hopeful smile then glanced briefly at Ambrose. "Us?"

I stood there just looking at him for a moment before I quickly shook my head. "Thanks, but well—uh—I already ate."

"Okay." Adrien said with a small nod and what looked like a disappointed smile.

We were both quiet for a moment before I broke the silence with a small awkward wave with the free arm that wasn't holding Queenie. "Bye."

"Bye." He responded, then I turned and walked away to the stairs. Adrien dropped the smile instantly when I was out of sight and let out a disappointed sigh. The camera changed to show Ambrose looking up with a disappointed look as well and there was a small meow heard.

"Don't look at me like that." Adrien told him defensively. "It's not my fault they left. I asked them both to stay."

Another shot of Ambrose looking at Adrien with another small meow, then Adrien was shown again. "Oh, sure blame me." He said then rolled his eyes at the cat and walked away.

There was a change of scene when I was shown walking up the stairs holding Queenie in my arms. There was a small meow right before I paused as if lost in thought. "Of course I shouldn't have stayed for dinner." I told myself. "He was only offering to be nice. He probably has a girl coming over later. Yeah…"

I looked away from the scene as soon as I was shown, since I knew the scene and what it would look like, and listened to myself speak on screen as I looked at Adrien. I couldn't help but feel surprised because of how he was watching the scene.

There was a small, amused smile on his face as he sat back against the back cushion of the couch. I smiled as well, unable to help myself since him smiling always made me feel so happy. His smile was so contagious.

My eyes widened a couple seconds later when I realized he had turned his attention from the television screen to me and gave me a confused, yet amused smile. My cheeks slowly started burning and my smile completely disappeared as one terrible thought ran through my mind.

_Did I just say that out loud?!_


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"What did you say?" Adrien asked me with a hushed voice, and I knew that it was only he and I that knew this conversation existed.

"I—uh—I don't know?" I practically squeaked out my response nervously.

I heard a quiet chuckle from him, and my blush only grew when I felt something around my shoulder. I glanced to my side quickly to see that it was Adrien's arm. I looked at him questioningly, but he only gave me a small smirk.

"It's okay, Marinette." He said quietly. "I don't mind knowing that I have a contagious smile." With a quick, teasing wink he turned his attention back to the film. I did the same though my mind had gone blank.

It took a few seconds before I realized what was happening in the film, though I was still very aware of the fact Adrien still had an arm around my shoulders. I would've expected it to be a temporary thing, to add to teasing me, but apparently it wasn't. It had to be a longer teasing gesture instead.

"What are you up to there?" The Adrien on screen asked as he stood behind me, holding a red duffle bag. I had been up on a step ladder hanging up Christmas lights around the porch. There was a hammer in my hand, a couple nails sticking out on my pursed lips, and strands of lights around my neck.

I turned and smiled at him as I took the nails out of my mouth with the hand I held the hammer. "Curbside value." I answered, and saw him smiling in response before I turned back to the lights I was hanging up. "When you're trying to sell a house, Christmas spirit can go a long way."

"Thank you." He said, then started towards the stairs the led down to the blue truck, but paused and looked at me again when I continued.

"Yeah." I responded. "My sister is in real estate. She says the more homey you can make a house feel the better." Adrien smiled a little more at me in response. "Have a good day." I added with a warm smile.

"You too." He responded, then walked down the stairs.

"Yeah." I replied then put the nails back in my mouth and turned to work on the lights.

Adrien walked away from the house looking as if he were lost in thought, then stopped and slowly turned towards me again with a curious smile. "I actually have an appointment to look at some tile." He said, causing me to look at him while I held up lights with my free hand.

"You wouldn't want to go, would you?"

I hesitated for a second, taking the nails from my mouth again, then answered with a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess I could."

"Alright." Adrien said, his smile growing a little more. "Well, there's this other thing I have to do first. It's—uh—sort of important."

"What's that?" I asked as I put my hands on the railing on the ladder and leaned slightly towards him.

"I have to give a speech to a group of fascinating people." Adrien replied. "You might like it."

I looked curious as I stood up straight again. "Should I dress up?" I asked, gesturing to what I was wearing: a simple light blue and white zip-up sweater with a hood and pockets, and black jeans.

Adrien took a second to glance over what I was wearing, then smiled. "I think I can get you in dressed like that."

The scene changed to show Adrien dressed in a full fireman's suit, yellow pants, jacket, and helmet. He was looking down at his audience seated around him, his hands on his hips in fists as he tried to look at them seriously.

"Did you guys know that the leading cause of Christmas tree fires is from dry trees?"

The camera angle changed to show his audience: a group of children all wearing plastic red firemen helmets with their names written on them under a "fire chief" sticker. Manon, a little girl that I babysit, sat in the front, along with Chris, Nino's younger brother, and Ella and Etta, Alya's younger sisters.

"So remember: Get your parents to give your tree a drink every night." Adrien was shown again, giving the children a very serious look and looked around at each of them. "Alright, you guys got that?"

"Got it!" All the kids chorused, and I was shown sitting at the back in the middle of the green rug, hugging my legs crossed in front of me as I smiled at Adrien.

"Alright." Adrien repeated and gave the kids a satisfied smile, before his eyes landed on me and he returned my warm smile.

I remember how I felt as I filmed that specific scene with him because of how many takes it took to finish, despite being a very short scene. Those children hadn't found it very easy to cooperate for a while, but Adrien had shown the most patience with them that I've ever seen anyone give children.

I didn't look at him, afraid that he would catch me looking, but I smiled warmly to myself. I like the fact that Adrien is so good with kids, and I had a strong feeling that he'd made a great dad someday.

Though after a few seconds, while Adrien and I were busy on screen giving each other smiles as we were shown adding tiles to the walls of the kitchen, him holding the tiles and putting them onto the wall with me adding the plaster, the two cats nearby, I felt a sudden cold around me and I realized that Adrien had taken his arm away.

I had almost forgotten that he even put it there in the first place, and I looked up at him curiously to see why he moved away. I saw a nervous expression on his face and saw him visibly swallow, then followed his gaze. Instantly my heart stopped, and I knew I had become just as nervous as he looked.

* * *

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

Marinette's smile was so nice to look at that I couldn't take my eyes from her for a few seconds. I wasn't sure what was going through her mind, but I knew it had to be a nice thought because of how relaxed and happy she looked.

I wasn't sure why, maybe it was because I felt eyes on me, but I glanced up from looking at Marinette and I saw her father looking right at me. My smile instantly faded, and I looked at him with a nervous expression as I was suddenly and painfully aware that my arm was still around Marinette.

I wasn't even sure exactly why I hadn't stopped myself from doing it, but I didn't regret it until this point in time when her father caught me, not only with my arm around his daughter, but also looking at her with a smile that I was sure gave away that I care for her. I didn't even know how long he had been looking at me, but I could tell that he didn't seem very happy.

He seemed to be satisfied that I removed my arm from around Marinette because he raised his head as if silently approving my action. My stomach felt rather queasy as I forced my eyes away from him and back to the television screen, and it was an awful feeling.

_Mr. Dupain must not be happy with me. He doesn't approve of me and doesn't want me to try to be more than friends with Marinette…_

Marinette and I were shown on screen jogging down the street together on the sidewalk, her in a cyan long-sleeved shirt and me in a red one with black sleeves. Then she extended an arm towards me and playfully pushed me to the side, instantly moving in the opposite direction and running faster as if to get away from me. I smiled at her and waved it off as if dismissing her playful behavior, though she kept running ahead of me, a big smile on both of our faces.

The scene changed to show her reading a newspaper in the kitchen, me standing next to her. I leaned over to read the paper over her shoulder, and we both laughed quietly and exchanged a smile.

I wish I could have felt happy as I watched those last couple scenes, but I felt quite uncomfortable. Knowing that Marinette's father had seen me. I remember feeling so happy with Marinette, wishing that it was more than just the film and that we could do those simple things together as ourselves, not Marilee and Zachary.

But now I didn't know if it would be possible because I had a terrible feeling that Mr. Dupain wasn't happy with me, and it made me feel really nervous. I knew that I shouldn't have done anything like put an arm around her and look at her like I was, especially not with her parents in the room to see.

_Now, any chance I had with her is ruined because I didn't act like a gentleman and talk to her parents first._

I knew better than that. I was raised to be nothing but polite, but I forgot about all of that when it came to her.

_Why had I told Nino to switch me seats again? Right, I wanted to sit next to Marinette._

I wished I could go back right now, back to before I told Nino to switch me, and tell myself that it wasn't a good idea, but I couldn't. It was too late, and there was no way I'd be able to get onto her father's good side. Any hope I had of being with Marinette outside of the film was gone. Vanished.

"Who in their right mind barbecues a turkey in the fireplace?"

My attention went back to the television, and I knew there were still two more scenes we hadn't watched yet. I took a quiet deep breath to clear my mind of my worried, and temporarily forget about the trouble I was sure I had gotten myself into.

It had been me who spoke to Ivan after he climbed out of the fire engine. It surprised me that I tuned back into the scenes of the movie so quickly since I knew that this scene immediately followed the one with Marinette and I looking at the newspaper. I supposed all those panicked thoughts raced through my head in a matter of seconds, not minutes like what it felt like.

_That explains why I feel so sick…_

"The holidays make people do crazy things." Ivan responded, holding out the word 'crazy' for emphasis. I almost scoffed at that line, because what I just did was a prime example.

_Don't think about that now._

"Yeah, I was saying the same thing to Marilee after my talk at the school."

"Wait," Max said immediately afterwards, following behind Ivan and I, followed by Kim. "What, you took her with you?"

"She's living with him now." Kim spoke up with a teasing tone. "He's falling in love."

"That's not true." I heard myself say.

"Sorry," Ivan said, with a smirk. "He's falling in love, but doesn't know it yet."

I chose to ignore it, but Max kept it going. "Okay, tell me that's not true, Zach." He said, clearly mocking me, though sounding serious. "You're my idol! No playing the field, no commitment, no responsibility…"

"Don't worry, nothing's changed." I said, taking off the yellow fireman coat I had been wearing. "I'm not falling in love, and I'm still never getting married."

Max laughed to himself in disbelief, and Kim came over. "Really." He said, clearly unconvinced. "Can you say no to these three things?"

I looked at him as he continued, with an almost worried look on my face as if I was afraid I was in fact falling in love. "You live with her? Yes. You spend all your free time with her? Yes. You think about her when you're not with her—"

"No—" I tried to cut in, but Kim still answered, "Yes" at the same time.

"No." I repeated stubbornly. "No, I don't live with her. She's only staying with me until she finds a new place, and I only spend time with her because she's there."

Max and Kim nodded slowly, and Kim turned to look at Max with a smirk, humming in false agreement to me, then looked back at me. "You are five minutes from marrying this girl."

"Okay, so wait—wait—wait—wait." Max said to Kim, stepping towards me when Kim turned and walked away. "What are you saying, he's human after all?"

The guys laughed, and Max looked at me again. "Come on, Zach!" He said with exasperation, clearly trying to tease me. "Say it ain't so!"

"This girl's a temporary roommate." I answered. "Nothing else."

Ivan came walking over to us from behind me, smiling with amusement. "Right." He said, also sounding very amused and unconvinced.

As the scene played out, I remembered how I felt as this scene was being filmed, and I felt the same way again. Perhaps what I felt for Marinette really was a little more than just some crush. Those three questions that Kim had asked me replayed through my mind, and although I personally could only say yes to one of them, I was pretty sure that one was the telltale sign.

_I think about Marinette all the time, even when we aren't together, and when I do, I really want to be with her._

I slowly nodded to myself, leaning over to put my elbows on my knees and let out a sigh I wasn't even _trying to hide_. I had to admit it to myself:

_I love Marinette. I am in love with Marinette. The feelings I have for her are more than just a crush._

I wouldn't have felt so nervous about this fact I just realized, or so queasy, if it wasn't for the fact I had no clue what to do about her father, and to see if I'd even stand a chance if I tried talking to him and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng about the possibility of dating Marinette.

It wouldn't have been so nerve-wracking to me if I hadn't already screwed up and let Mr. Dupain catch me with my arm around his daughter; his little girl.

_Oh boy, am I going to be in trouble…_


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Alright, so I wasn't planning to write this chapter. Events in chapters 33-36 were originally meant to make up only one chapter, but I added extra things to each. Instead of one chapter, there's now four to cover the scenes of the movie. I'm working on 36 right now, and if I finish it tonight I'll update again tonight. Otherwise, expect it tomorrow.  
**

**Oh, and unintentional mentioning of another one of my favorite shows. Let's see if anyone gets the reference!**

**P.S. I know I never mentioned it before unless I responded to someone's individual comment, but there are NO MIRACULOUSES in this fanfiction. No Ladybug, no Chat Noir, and no Hawkmoth. Just Adrien and Marinette.  
**

**I included this message in the Prologue/Chapter 1 chapter, but I just made the change. This is for anyone who is up to date who most likely won't be re-reading this, until I eventually rewrite the earlier chapters as I do final editing.**

**And thank you so much for all the reviews I've gotten! I love reading them! I just want to ask, please, please, please keep them K+ rated! I don't want to see any swearing in them! I don't want to delete any comments because I am keeping this fic K+ friendly!**

* * *

Chapter 35

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

Adrien was starting to really worry me. I barely registered the ending of that scene of the firemen because of his behavior. He looked like he was about to either cry or throw up and I had no idea what to do about it, so naturally I started thinking of the worst possible scenarios.

_Maybe Adrien didn't mean to keep his arm around me for that long, and he regrets even considering doing it to tease me in the first place._

_Maybe he thinks that he made me uncomfortable by doing it._

Obviously, he didn't make me feel uncomfortable because I had debated with myself at first whether I should lay my head on his shoulder or not. Of course, I decided against it.

_Maybe he thinks that my dad is upset with him for having an arm around me. _

The last thought made me turn my attention to my dad. New thoughts replaced the old and I became even more confused.

_Why would he even make Adrien think he wasn't happy with him when I know that he loves the idea of Adrien and I being together?_

I narrowed my eyes slightly as I looked at my dad trying to see if he was actually mad at Adrien. He had his arm around my mom, and they were both smiling as they watched the last scene of Adrien and I together. There was no sign whatsoever of him giving Adrien a hard time.

_Does that mean Adrien's sick?_

I looked back at him and frowned, my eyebrows knitting in concern. I knew that he was one to hide his emotions and thoughts if it meant he'd get more time with his friends, but I hoped that didn't including hiding the fact that he didn't feel good.

I was aware that the scene of Adrien and I together was almost over, but I didn't care about it at all now. I leaned towards Adrien slightly so that when I spoke quietly to him he would hear me but no one else would.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked in a whisper. "Are you not feeling well?"

Adrien didn't answer me for a couple moments, seeming frozen and uncomfortable, but when he did answer he didn't look at me. "I'm fine."

My eyes narrowed at him as I instantly felt annoyed at him for lying. "No, you're not." I told him, still keeping my voice down. "What's wrong?"

Adrien turned his head and looked at me, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. I was sure he wasn't used to seeing me so worried about him to the point I was practically glaring at him.

"What's wrong?" I repeated quietly, but sternly, when he didn't say anything. "You can tell me."

Adrien let out a long sigh and turned away from me, his head dropping to look at the floor as his arms lowered, his elbows still on his knees. He looked miserable, and it made me more upset myself to see him like this while I felt so helpless not knowing how to help him.

I looked down at my own hands on my lap as I fiddled with my fingers uncomfortably. I really wished I knew how to get through to him, but it was very difficult to do that when he refused to open up to me, or anyone for that matter.

_But I'm sure that not opening up to anyone makes things hard for himself too…_

I closed my hands in fists, suddenly determined. I looked up, blankly staring at the television screen ahead of me. I knew that the scene would be at an end soon, but I had to do this while I still had the confidence.

In one quick motion I looked at Adrien, reached towards him, took him by the wrist, stood up, and marched out of the living room and to the kitchen, dragging the boy behind me. I heard, but chose to ignore his protests as I led him away from everyone else.

Despite my heart thumping in my chest the entire way and nearly stop when I turned to face him in the kitchen, I was strangely able to maintain my composure enough as I tried to look as determined as I had felt moments ago.

"Alright, Adrien." I started, letting go of his wrist to point at him accusingly. "I'm going to ask you again, and I want you to tell me the truth. What's going on?"

Adrien looked shocked to say the least. His mouth was parted, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise (I knew that he'd never experienced this side of me before), and his cheeks were a rosy color, suggesting that he probably was getting sick.

"Adrien," I continued when he said nothing. "You better not be getting sick. Don't you realize how awful that would be? I mean, I know it would be terrible for you, but it would through off our filming schedule, and—Why would you even still be here if you knew you were sick?"

I noticed him swallow and seem to try to get words out, but now that I was on this rant I couldn't stop.

"Not only do you risk getting someone else here sick too, but it could make you feel worse!" I said, my tone growing harsher as I was unable to stop myself from glaring at him while poking his chest accusingly. "I don't want you to make whatever you got worse, so please, just take care of yourself!"

"Marinette, I—"

"What?" I demanded, causing him to pause and visibly swallow again before he spoke.

"Marinette, I'm not sick."

"Then why—"

"I'm okay, really." He interrupted me this time and tried to give me a smile, although I knew it was forced. Somehow, this only made me feel worse.

"Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?" I asked, cursing myself as I knew my voice was starting to shake. I could feel the tears building up from frustration and worry for this boy. "Adrien, I thought we were friends."

"We are!" He said quickly, obviously panicking. "We are friends! You're one of my best friends!"

"Friends don't lie." I said, shaking my head at him slowly. His smile faded instantly, and he looked down, seeming ashamed of himself. The dejected look on his face made my heart ache and I instantly stopped feeling angry at him.

"I…" Adrien started, his own voice shaking slightly. "I can't tell you what's on my mind, Marinette… I'm sorry…"

Although it hurt to know he wouldn't tell me, I knew that I couldn't force it out of him. "Why didn't you just tell me that?" I asked, my tone softening. "I wouldn't have gotten so mad at you."

"I don't know." He admitted, his eyes flicking up to meet mine briefly before focusing on the ground again. "I didn't think it really mattered."

"You're insane." I said, staring at him in shock, worry, and regret. I had no idea why he would even think that his well-being wouldn't matter to anyone, and to me for that matter. "What made you think that?"

Adrien leaned back against the island counter, still staring at the ground. He didn't answer my question for several seconds, but when he did, his tone was soft and sad. "I haven't been able to open up to anyone since my mom left…"

My heart ached for him, and I could feel my tears threatening to escape in his behalf. "But that was—"

"Almost three years ago." He finished, nodding slowly with a small, sad smile. "I know. It's been a long time since I've had someone to be completely open with."

"Adrien, I had no idea…" I said quietly, and it hurt me more when I noticed a silent tear running down his cheek. Before I even thought about what I was doing, I stepped closer to him and put a hand on his cheek to wipe the tear away with my thumb.

His head lifted and his saddened eyes met my concerned ones. I could feel my heart ripping apart as I realized that I didn't know him as well I liked to think I did. I never thought he was hurting so badly, but I was also in silent awe that I had the privilege to experience this side of him.

"Adrien, I care so much for you." I told him quietly, and my other hand went to his other cheek when another tear was shed. "You can always come to me about anything that's troubling you. Always. I promise I'll listen."

Adrien nodded slowly and tried to blink away the tears that threatened to fall. With a swallow, he forced a smile, though this one I could tell was much more genuine than the last. "Okay…" He said quietly as if he were afraid his shaking voice would cause those tears to come back.

"Promise me that you will come and talk to me whenever you need to?" I asked quietly. My hands moved on their own as they gently cupped his cheeks, my fingertips in the ends of his hair near his temples.

He nodded again, this time with a little more reassurance. "I promise." He said quietly. I gave him a small, satisfied smile and took my hands away and brought them back to my sides.

"Good." I said. "I'll always have time for you. Whether you want to call or text or talk to me in person. I'll always be there for you, Adrien."

Adrien's smile seemed to grow, which made my heart feel whole again. It took me by surprise when I suddenly felt his arms around my waist in a hug. My hands landed on his chest as I stared forward in surprise.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, Marinette…" He said quietly near my ear. I then felt his forehead on my shoulder, and I couldn't help but smile and blush happily.

My hands slid from his chest to his shoulders, and my arms looped around his neck as I returned the hug. In the back of my mind, I hoped that he didn't notice how fast my heart was racing. Even though I knew I would be there for him, only as his friend, it was wonderful to know how much he valued our friendship. I was willing to put aside my feelings for him if he needed a friend.

"You're one of my best friends too, Adrien…" I told him quietly. "I'm really, really happy we're friends…"

I felt his arms tighten around me, but not to the point that his hold on me was uncomfortable. If anything, it made me blush a little more.

After a few more moments of hugging him, I thought it might start getting a little awkward for him if he knew I secretly didn't want the moment to end, so I loosened my arms from around his neck. I could feel him doing the same to my waist, but even as he started to pull away, I couldn't bring myself to pass up on the chance.

As he rose, while he was still lowered slightly near my level, I stood on my toes to stay at his and gave him a kiss on his cheek. When I lowered myself again to stand flat on my feet, I could feel myself blushing as I smiled softly at him. I could see his cheeks a rosy color like before, and I'd like to think that it was my kiss that made him react that way.

_We are French… A kiss on the cheek is just a friendly gesture._

I reminded myself with a sigh as I looked down. But the exact same moment that I sighed, I noticed Adrien tense up again. Instantly, I looked up towards him again, then followed his gaze. My heart flip-flopped in my chest, unsure of what to think.

It was my dad, standing there in the doorway and looking at the two of us while crossing his arms. He had a disapproving look, which instantly made me confused.

"We were just talking." I said, although I knew that by my statement, it seemed as if we might have been doing a little more than just talking.

"I see." He responded, his eyes not leaving Adrien for even a moment. "I would like to have a turn talking with Adrien now though, if you wouldn't mind, Marinette. All of your other friends have left."

My heart sunk as I looked at Adrien, seeing that he still looked very nervous. I turned back to my dad and started to slowly walk towards him to leave the room. I really hoped he wasn't going to do something to embarrass Adrien or me.

"Dad, please…" I said to him quietly as I stopped for a moment next to him, looking at him with pleading eyes. It completely took me by surprise when he turned to me and gave me a wink. I was left speechless as I turned away from him silently and left the kitchen without another word.

I struggled to think why my dad winked at me like that as I mindlessly wandered back to my room. My mind was racing, yet moving so incredibly slow at the same time that I hadn't the slightest idea what to make of it.

The moment I lifted the trapdoor that led to my room I heard a voice that stunned me even more.

"Girl, you have got to watch this."


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: UGH! I still haven't finished writing what was originally just going to be one chapter long! Now it will be five, maybe more it I add something else to the story in between!**

**I really need sleep... But I needed to finish this chapter because I was on a roll... Updating now before I pass out!**

* * *

Chapter 36

**_~Tom's POV~_**

I smiled as I stood next to Sabine with my hand resting on her shoulder opposite from me. The teenagers were leaving for the night, seeming to be happy about the current turn out of their movie, and the obvious development between their two missing friends. Sabine and I were also quite happy, because we had noticed that Adrien seemed to be growing closer to Marinette.

She was the first to notice that Adrien had his arm around her while they watched the film. We both couldn't stop smiling for a while, feeling amused by how awkward the moment was for each of them. The boy was unsure of himself, seemingly wary of the girl's reaction. The girl just seemed in a daze, but also conflicted.

"She wants to be closer to him…" Sabine had whispered to me quietly. "Probably wants to lay her head on his shoulder…"

About a minute after we noticed Adrien's actions, I had noticed that he was looking at Marinette with a much fonder look than I've ever seen him give her before.

"Alya's plan seems to be working." Sabine said to me quietly and I nodded in agreement. The director of the movie had told Sabine and I about the overall purpose of her film the first time they came to our home to record. It made my wife and I very excited since we knew how badly Marinette wanted to be more than just a friend to Adrien.

"I think I'm going to have a little chat with him later." I told Sabine and she looked up at me with a knowing smile. At the same moment that she settled her attention back on the screen, I decided that I would have a little fun with the situation at hand.

I chose a good time to narrow my eyes in a false disapproving look because as soon as I decided I had a convincing expression, Adrien's eyes flicked up and met mine. It was with great difficulty that I kept my composure instead of laughing as I could see a mixture of regret, panic and discomfort cross his features.

I felt bad later, seeing how much that look I gave him affected him to the point that it had Marinette worried. Though the regret instantly went away when I noticed she finally tried to talk to him about it. He seemed to avoid telling her that it was me that made her uncomfortable which made me to further believe that Adrien had developed stronger feelings for my daughter.

It took almost everyone by surprise when she stood suddenly and left the room quickly, pulling the poor boy behind her by the wrist. The girls and Nino instantly started to talk about it quickly between themselves, making it obvious that the other two knew about Alya's plan and that they were very excited at the possibility of it happening.

Everyone had now left except for Alya. She turned to look at Sabine and I with a hopeful expression. "Actually, can I stay to show Marinette something about the movie?"

"Sure thing, Dear." Sabine answered for the both of us with a smile. "I'll send her up after she's finished with Adrien."

Alya's eyes instantly glowed with a matching grin. "Thank you!" She called as she had already turned and started running up to Marinette's room excitedly.

"Are you going to go have that chat with Adrien now?" Sabine asked me with a small, amused smile.

I nodded in response. "He's been alone with Marinette long enough. I think I'd like to see what the two of them are up to."

"Don't be too hard on him." Sabine added with a playful gleam in her eyes. "You know what it's like being a young teenage boy in love."

"I sure do." I responded with a smile and gave Sabine a quick kiss on her cheek. "You wait in the living room and make sure Marinette makes it upstairs to Alya. I'll tell you everything that goes on with Adrien after I finish talking with him."

Sabine smiled and nodded in response then turned and left the front door to take a seat on the couch. I grinned to myself as I turned and made my way to the kitchen, knowing that was where Marinette and Adrien were.

I stopped in the doorway and had to cover up my grin with a scowl to keep up my protective-dad act, crossing my arms to add to the effect. The two teenagers were currently hugging and each obviously didn't want to let go. A second later, however, Marinette was the first to pull away, but she surprised Adrien and myself by giving him a kiss on the cheek. I didn't know what they had talked about, but I was sure I was about to find out.

The next emotions that crossed Adrien's face were of utmost amusement to me. There was the satisfaction and embarrassment that lingered from the hug, the shock that replaced the satisfaction when she kissed him, and finally the discomfort that was added when he noticed that I was standing there, watching them, though I kept my eyes fixed on Adrien.

Then Marinette turned, looking at me with panic, embarrassment and slight confusion. "We were just talking."

"I see." I said, inwardly enjoying the way Adrien looked uncomfortable from my intense gaze. "I would like to have a turn talking with Adrien now though, if you wouldn't mind, Marinette. All of your other friends have left."

Adrien looked down, shuffling his feet nervously, and Marinette glanced at Adrien, still looking worried about the boy. When she turned back to me, I met her eyes for a second before fixing them on the boy again.

Marinette's steps were slow, obviously reluctant to leave Adrien's side. That was something I knew he had to have noticed, because I saw his eyes trailing her as she left him as if he were silently pleading that she didn't leave him alone with me.

"Dad, please…" Marinette said to me quietly as she stopped next to me in the doorway. I could see that she was begging me not to embarrass him or her, or scare him off. But I could also see that she desperately wanted to understand why I was doing this since she knew that I knew she loved this boy standing awkwardly in the kitchen.

I looked at her for only a second before I cracked a half smile and gave her a wink. I knew that it surprised her, seeing that her mouth was agape as she turned then continued to walk away silently. I knew that she got the message, or at least was starting to. I was just playing around. I wasn't really upset with Adrien, I just wanted to talk.

"So." I said as I turned back to Adrien. I saw his head snap up; his eyes wide with alarm. I walked forward slowly, turning to walk to the dining table. I gestured an arm towards it, still looking at him. "I think we should talk, Son."

* * *

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

_Son?! What is that supposed to mean?! Does he hate my guts or not?!_

I had to force my legs to move towards the table. My steps were slow, and I couldn't feel my feet. It was like I was in some alternate reality, in some sort of crazy dream. I desperately wished Marinette would come back. Hugging her felt really nice, and so did her calming actions, and that kiss.

_Oh, that kiss!_

I knew it probably didn't mean anything, but I never received genuine affection like that from anyone, especially not Marinette. It was just a simple kiss on the cheek, but it made my heart race a thousand kilometers per hour and completely stop all at once.

I found myself taking a seat at the table across from Marinette's father, and I felt so incredibly small next to him. I had a feeling, or rather a hope that he wouldn't harm me, but I knew it wouldn't be difficult for him.

_Should I say something? Should I wait for him to speak?_

I swallowed, my throat feeling tight, and I was barely aware of the fact that I was trembling slightly from my anxiety. I knew I wouldn't be able to say something if I tried.

"You were hugging her." He spoke, but his tone surprisingly didn't sound hostile. He was just stating an observation. "She kissed your cheek. Earlier, you had an arm around her."

When he paused for a moment longer, I managed to get out a small response. "Y-Yes, Sir."

"Why?" He asked me, but his tone made it obvious he wasn't really asking a question. I knew that he knew the answer, and just wanted to hear me say it.

"I'm sorry."

Marinette's father raised an eyebrow at my curiously. "Why are you apologizing? Do you regret what happened between you two?"

"No!" I answered quickly, but my face went crimson as I sputtered to cover up my outburst. "N-No, I don't regret anything. I just—I'm sorry I went behind your back."

He shifted in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as he peered at me curiously. "You went behind my back?"

"W-Well, I-I only mean that I didn't talk to you first about my intentions." I clarified, and I saw him nod very slowly, and I hoped that he understood. I knew I was being vague, but it was hard not to be when I was still very nervous about how he would react when I finally said all that was on my mind.

"And what are your intentions, Adrien?" There was no hint of coldness in his voice, and I realized there never had been. It had always just been the way he looked at me that made him seem cold and threatening to me.

I looked down at my hands in my lap and fiddled with my fingers nervously, biting at my bottom lip. I wasn't sure how to put it into words.

_Maybe I should be straightforward? Or maybe that would make me sound too eager?_

"I…" I started, still searching for the words to say. It helped though, knowing that Marinette's father was so patient with me, letting me gather my thoughts.

_Perhaps he went through something similar with Marinette's mother? I'm sure her parents could have been very strict, knowing Chinese traditions._

I finally took a deep breath, gathering up all what little courage I had, and looked at Marinette's father. "I want to talk to you about my chances with Marinette. I want to be allowed to spend more time with her."

"Adrien, you've always been welcomed to our home." He responded, but there was something about the way he looked at me that told me that he knew there was more on my mind.

"I'm happy to know that." I said, though I couldn't show a smile because of how nervous I felt. "But I mean I'd like to spend more time with her outside of just our homes and at school."

"Are you trying to tell me that you'd like permission to take my daughter on dates?" He asked me, his eyebrows lifting as he looked at me. There was nothing at all threatening about his gaze; he was just curious.

I swallowed again, unable to calm my nerves. Very slowly my head lowered then raised in very long, slow nods. "Y-Yes, I would like to take Marinette on dates."

"As friends?" He questioned. "With Alya and Nino, and maybe some of your other friends?"

At the time I couldn't tell that he had taken to tease me since I was so nervous, and almost scared by the thought that Marinette's father didn't want me to be anything more that friends with Marinette.

"No—Well, Yes, sometimes, but no, not as friends." I looked down again, embarrassed with myself further as I could feel my cheeks growing hot and I knew I was blushing in front of the girl I love's father. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, inviting me to continue, so I did.

"I really like your daughter, Sir." I said and forced myself to look at him again. "I really, really like her, and I was hoping that you wouldn't mind if I tried to pursue a relationship with her that is more than just a friendship."

Slowly a smile stretched across his face, turning into a grin. This reaction took me by surprise, and he chuckled, probably noticing my shock. "Out of all the boys that Marinette has mentioned to Sabine and me, her friends, you are the one that we wouldn't mind being more than a friend to her."

"Wait, really?" I asked instantly. My heart was picking up speed again as I stared at him with a dumbfounded look. "You would be okay if she and I were more than friends?"

When he nodded, my heart burst with excitement and happiness. "So much so that you didn't even need to ask me for permission first." He replied as he stood from the table.

My eyebrows knitted slightly with confusion because of how hostile he came off earlier as I too rose from my seat at the table. "But—"

"It was only an act, my dear boy." Marinette's father said with a chuckle. "Just for fun. You'll understand one day when there is a boy asking you to date your daughter."

My eyes widened slightly as I instantly thought about all that would imply. If I had a daughter, I would most likely be married, and currently the only girl I love is—

_Marinette._

My cheeks blazed as I thought about the possibility of Marinette being my future wife, and it being our daughter who was being whisked away by some other boy. A little girl that looked just like her; very pretty, and someone guys would be interested in.

"One step at a time, Adrien." I heard Marinette's father's voice cut through my thoughts as he placed a large hand on my shoulder. "One step at a time."

I looked up at him and smiled sheepishly, though I felt a lot better now that I could feel Mr. Dupain's encouragement. It was definitely much better than believing I was going to feel a father's wrath over his little girl.

I left the Dupain-Cheng residence not long after, unable to stop smiling to myself happily. I was so ready to start a relationship with Marinette, if that was what she wanted as well, but at the same time I knew I would still have to wait to ask her.

I couldn't risk confessing to her before the movie was finished in case she didn't feel the same way about me, and filming our scenes together was super awkward. There was the chance that she did feel the same and that nothing would hurt the production of the movie, but I couldn't take that chance. Not yet.

But, I did know this: One day Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl I love, would be my girlfriend, and I can't wait for that day to come.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Finally another update! I'm really sorry it took so long, but I swear I'm not giving up on this story! There is more to come!**

**And just to show an example for about how much more there's going to be in this fanfiction, the movie this story is based off of is just under an hour and a half long. After writing the scene in this chapter there are now just under twenty minutes left in the movie to write, and fourteen more scenes of the movie left.**

* * *

Chapter 37

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"What are you doing here, Alya?" I asked curiously as I stared at my best friend in surprise. "I thought you left."

Alya waved my words away then beckoned me to sit next to her on my chaise. "Everyone else left, but I stayed. I wanted to make sure that you saw this."

"What is it?" I asked, intrigued as I walked over to her and sat down next to her. She was tapping at the screen of her phone, then turned it landscape, and I knew that it was going to be a video.

"The last scene that we filmed of you and Adrien." She answered easily with a grin.

I sighed softly as I looked at her. "Alya, I don't need to watch it to know what happened."

"I would be showing you this again even if you hadn't gone off with Adrien." She said, her grin becoming a smirk as she raised an eyebrow at me. "What was that all about anyway?"

"All we did was talk." I said quickly, averting my eyes to avoid seeing the accusing look that I knew was on her face. "Nothing else."

"Woah." Alya said with a surprised tone, and I could tell she was also grinning at me. "I wasn't accusing you of doing anything more than talking, but now… Did he kiss you?"

I mentally cursed myself for giving away that we did a tiny bit more than talking, but I shook my head in response to her question though I still didn't look at her. "No, he didn't."

"So, what happened?" Alya asked, leaning towards me slightly to show that she was very intrigued. "You said you two talked. About what? I want all the details."

"Fine." I gave in and couldn't help but smile as I remembered how it felt being with Adrien in the kitchen. "We had our first argument. I think."

I paused dramatically and looked at Alya who looked even more surprised and shocked, but didn't say anything so I could continue the story.

"When we were sitting on the couch I noticed that he seemed upset or uncomfortable by something, so I tried asking him if there was something wrong." I continued, reliving the moment at I told it. "He refused to tell me, and even tried to convince me that he was fine, which was obviously not true.

"I was upset that he wouldn't at least tell me the truth, that there was something bothering him, because I know that we both value each other's friendship. So, I built up enough courage to confront him about lying to me. I knew that I shouldn't do it in front of everyone else, so I took him into the kitchen."

"To talk." Alya commented, nodding along with the story. "Okay, so did you yell at him?"

"No." I said quickly, but I didn't sound sure of myself. "I don't think I yelled at him, but I did surprise him. That's for sure."

I paused and giggled as I remembered the panicked expression he wore as I pointed and poked at him accusingly. "I told him that I knew he wasn't telling the truth, but I still made it clear I don't want to be lied to. He's never experienced me like that first hand before."

"And it probably won't be the last time since you two are growing closer." Alya added. "That's a good thing. It shows that you're maturing enough to know that relationships aren't all sunshine and rainbows."

"Alya, Adrien and I are not in a relationship." I told her quickly. "We're just friends and nothing more."

"I beg to differ." She said with a laugh, but shook her head to dismiss it. "Anyway, you were accusing him. Did he apologize?"

"Yeah." I said with a small nod. "After I told him that friends don't lie—"

"Did you watch that American show again?" Alya asked, cutting me off with an amused smile. "The one we watched together for the first time a year and a half ago?"

"Stranger Things is a good show." I argued, but dismissed it quickly. "Anyway, after I told him that, he just kind of… lost it."

"What do you mean?"

"He said that he was sorry, but…" I was hesitant to say everything that happened because it was a personal moment for him as well as me. I didn't want to give away the fact that he opened up to me like that because that was a very precious memory to me now.

"But…?" Alya prompted, and I realized I had trailed off.

"He apologized, but…" I trailed off again, searching for words. I couldn't tell her about him crying, even if it wasn't much, or the fact that he brought up his mom. "But he gave me a hug anyway to make up for our misunderstanding."

"He hugged you?!" Alya practically yelled, and I desperately hoped that Adrien would have left by know so he wouldn't know that I was telling Alya about what happened, or that she was so excited by a hug.

"Yes, Alya, he hugged me." I said, my tone quieting down slightly to hint at her to keep her voice low. Her wide grin made me blush and smile as well as I remembered it. "It was really nice."

"I bet it was." Alya sang with a grin. "Wow! He hugged you!"

"It was no big deal." I said dismissively, blushing more because Alya was making a huge deal out of nothing. "Friends hug. We hugged."

"Yeah, but you two haven't hugged before!" Alya said happily, grabbing my shoulder with the hand nearest to me and shook it. "This is huge!"

"No, it's not, Alya." I argued, waving my hands in front of me to dismiss her words. "He hugged me because he felt bad and because we are friends. It meant nothing."

"But it could mean—"

"No." I cut her off quickly, causing her to stare at me in surprise. "No, it means nothing. I don't want to think that it means something. I don't want to even consider the possibility that that hug meant something real; that he might just see me as more than a friend…"

I trailed off as I looked down, my hands holding onto my arms as I suddenly felt a huge wave of disappointment. "Because I know I'm not more than a friend to him." I continued in a small voice. "And I don't want to get my hopes up that there's any real hope for me to be more than just friends because I don't want to feel the pain of being friend-zoned again."

I paused again as I took in a shaky breath then let it out in a small sigh. "Adrien and I are growing closer." I acknowledged. "But that doesn't mean we'll ever be more than friends. So… I just can't get my hopes up."

"Marinette, I'm sorry." Alya told me and I smiled slightly when I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder that slowly moved down to gently rub my back soothingly. "I had no idea that you felt that way."

"It's okay." I said with a smile as I picked my head up to look at my best friend. "I know that I normally would be over the moon with excitement, but I've realized that the disappointment I feel after that excitement is crushed just isn't worth it anymore."

"But you still really like him, don't you?" Alya asked. "Those kinds of feelings don't just disappear."

"I know." I said and nodded slowly. "And I'm going to try to get over him over time. It will take a while, and I don't mind having a crush on him still. I'll just have to keep reminding myself that my feelings are completely temporary and will eventually be toward another instead."

"I'm sorry, Girl." Alya told me and I felt both of her arms around me in a warm hug. "I'm so sorry. You'll be able to last through the end of this romance movie, right?"

"Of course, I will." I said with a small grin. "It's a lot of fun being the lead with Adrien. We have a lot of fun together. I just have to remember that anything that happens is just for the movie, nothing else."

When Alya pulled away from the hug again and smile at me warmly, I couldn't help but ask: "This Christmas romance movie wasn't one of your evil plots to get Adrien and I together that ends up a disaster, was it?"

"No, no of course not." Alya said quickly, waving her arms to dismiss the idea. "I know it sounds like something I would do, but I swear this is not one of those evil plans that won't work out."

I eyed her skeptically before sighing softly. I swore it was one of those plans, but I chose not to push it anymore. I supposed that it wouldn't be too strange to think that all the other girls would want me to be the leading female while Adrien is the leading male, but I knew that Alya was the writer of the script.

"You're still having fun with Adrien and I acting like a developing couple, aren't you?" I asked, though it was more of an accusation.

"I sure am." Alya replied with a grin. "Even though you've said you don't want to keep pursuing something that you believe isn't ever going to happen, you and Adrien would still make a nice-looking couple."

I felt my cheeks heat up and I quickly looked away as I blushed rather deeply. I have always told myself that, and Alya had said it many times as well as the other girls in my class. Although I've finally come to accept that Adrien and I most likely won't become anything more than friends, I had to admit that Alya was not entirely wrong when she said we would look good together.

_I shouldn't even tell myself that anymore!_

"Anyway…" Alya said, holding out the second syllable and turning her attention back to her phone. "I'm going to have you watch this scene, then I will say what I have to say, and all I want you to do is think about it. Okay?"

I whined slightly, really not wanting to think about what Alya had to say because I had a strong feeling that it involved Adrien and me. Though I also knew I couldn't turn her down because she would guilt me into watching it. I knew she had to have some sort of good point, so I reluctantly agreed.

"Okay…" I agreed with an exasperated sigh. "Okay, fine. Just show it to me. I won't say a word."

"Great." Alya said happily as she started the video. "I knew I could get you to agree. Just watch this."

I heaved another soft sigh as I watched the short scene of Adrien and I together. We were sitting together, eating our dinner at the kitchen table in my house. I was the one in focus while he and I were across from each other, and I started my line while holding my fork and moving it as I emphasized that I had an idea.

"Hey," I started, but paused as I swallowed the little bit of food in my mouth. "Why don't we hit the stores tomorrow and we don't stop until we've found all of our Christmas presents?"

I ended it with a small smirk to myself for my brilliant idea as he looked up from his plate. "Sure." He responded.

I stood up from my seat as I picked up my empty glass and continued with the idea. "It will be way more fun if we do it together, and then we can get a Christmas tree."

I stopped talking when I turned to the sink, and the camera focused on Adrien's uneasy expression as he chewed his food. "Uh-huh." He responded, though his mind completely elsewhere. The two of us were quiet as he continued chewing, staring at nothing as he was lost in thought and as I filled the glass with tap water.

I turned and leaned against the counter next to the sink, glass of water in my hand and I looked at him for a couple seconds before I spoke again. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Adrien turned to look at me slowly with a surprised, almost panicked expression as he swallowed. "What?" He questioned and blinked at me a couple times.

"Look at those two." I said and nodded past him. He turned his head in the direction I was looking, and the two cats came onto the screen. They were laying next to each other on a shelf, and there was a sound of loud purring.

"They make it look easy." Adrien commented before the screen showed us once more and I spoke.

"My mother used to say that falling in love with the right person is easy." Which, was an actual saying my mom told me a lot.

I blurred on the screen as Adrien's face came into focus, still looking at the cats. "I've never felt that." He admitted.

"Well, me neither." I put in and I could be seen looking away from him in the background as his eyes immediately fell. There was a very small, slight nod noticeable as his expression looked very disappointed.

"But that doesn't mean it's not true." I added before I slowly stood upright again and walked out of the screen, but it was still focused on the confused and disappointed look on Adrien's face.

The screen turned to black to show the scene was over and Alya turned to me with a small, knowing smile. "Alright." She started. "Now you have seen what everyone else saw when you were filming with Adrien and when you and Adrien were away in the kitchen."

I turned my head from the phone to Alya and gave her a questioning look, staying true to my word not to say a word of protest and just think about what she had to say. I waited a few seconds as Alya was thinking of the exact wording she wanted to use.

"Did you notice how he reacted to you saying that you've never felt what your mom has told you?" She questioned first, then paused as I nodded slowly, silently asking her what her point was. Her smile turned to a small grin. "I didn't tell him to do that. It wasn't in the script."

"Sure," She continued quickly before I had the chance to make a retort. "You could just say he's just a good actor and improvised, but what if he heard you saying those words, not your character?"

My face instantly twisted in confusion and Alya quickly waved her hands telling me to wait and to let her clarify. "Just hear me out." She said first. "What if he heard those words as Marinette's words and not Marilee's? You and I, as well as all the girls in our class, know that it was so easy for you to fall in love with Adrien after you saw that he's nothing like Chloe—thank goodness—and that you assumed he would be the right person for you because of your mom's words, right?"

I blushed a bit but nodded slowly to confirm everything she said about me falling in love with Adrien to be true. "Good." Alya said as her grin faded slightly to tell me that this was a thought to take seriously. "But Adrien doesn't know that. So, what if Adrien, as we filmed the scene, wasn't just playing Zachary and was just as disappointed to hear that you, Marinette, haven't felt what it was like to fall in love with the right person, as his character was to hear that Marilee hadn't felt what it's like to fall in love with the right person?"

I couldn't hold my tongue from that long spill. I had to run it through my head a few times just to realize what she was saying. "Wow." I muttered before I looked at her curiously. "So, you think that Adrien's thinking that I've never fallen in love and is disappointed because of it?"

Alya nodded with a smug smile. "I think he very well could be." She said before she stood up. "And I want you to think about what that could mean if it was true."

Before I could even try to answer her, Alya left my room. I sat there on my chaise in silence as I thought, trying to wrap my head around everything she was saying. I could vaguely hear her saying a farewell to my parents thanks to the silence I was surrounded it.

_What if it is true that Adrien thinks that I've never fallen in love before?_

I could feel myself blushing before I even realized why I was. I suppose I subconsciously understood Alya's point before I could process it.

If Adrien had temporarily forgotten that the lines were just for the film, but still looked disappointed for the role of Zachary, wouldn't that mean that he was disappointed that I hadn't ever fallen in love? But why would it matter to him whether I had fallen in love with anyone or not?

Unless maybe he was hoping I had fallen in love already? If so, with who and why? Did he really consider himself such a good friend to me that he wanted to know if I had fallen in love yet? But why would he be disappointed if I hadn't? Shouldn't he just be happy to know whether or not I'd fallen for anyone?

What if he was disappointed for the same reason that Zachary was disappointed in the film? Alya had told me a while ago that Zachary would be disappointed at this point because it would suggest that he had been hoping Marilee might have fallen for him, but then decided not to write in that small detail and instead maybe hint at it in later scenes.

_But that means that Adrien's hoping that I fall for him!_

"No way." I told myself quickly and shook my head as I waved my arms in attempt to forget the thought. Adrien is just a good actor and thought that if he looked disappointed it was because he wanted to add a little something to the movie. It wouldn't have been the first time he improvised, and I was sure it wouldn't be the last.

I need to stop thinking about the possibility of Adrien thinking of me as something more than a friend because I would only disappoint myself further when I face reality. He and I are just friends, and even if it takes a while to move on, I will do it because I want our friendship to last as long as possible.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

After school, I met with Marinette and we left campus to go to the Christmas tree farm. As we decided to wait for Nino and Alya to show up so we could record the next scene we talked for a little while about things that happened at school, then decided to skim through our lines.

When the director and cameraman showed up, Marinette and I continued to flip through the few pages of this scene to go over our lines another time. I knew I didn't really need the extra practice, and I didn't think that Marinette did either, but there was an awkward tension between the two of us. Though maybe it was just me who felt it rather than the both of us.

I was ecstatic to know that I had Marinette's parents' support and my own father's to pursue a relationship with her, but it made me impatient knowing that it would be best to wait to talk to her about my feelings after we finished filming the movie.

It couldn't be much longer, right? We had over an hour's worth of film, and Alya told us a while ago it would be about an hour and a half long. If it was almost over, that also meant I would get to kiss Marinette in not too long either.

My cheeks started to burn at the thought as I smiled to myself. Maybe I would mess up the scene a few times after the kiss. She wouldn't mind too much, right? Or would that be pushing my chances with her? I shook my head at my own thoughts and let out a sigh, though it was apparently louder than I thought.

"Are you okay?" I heard a calming voice ask me and I looked up from the paper I had been staring blankly at to see Marinette looking at me with a look of curiosity and concern. She was also holding the script in her hand for the scene we were about to record.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I answered as I looked back down at the papers in my hand to skim over one of my lines again, then looked up at her once more. "Are you ready to film this scene?"

Marinette smiled and nodded, glancing down as she flipped her script back to the first page. "Yeah, I am." She said then looked up and met my eyes again. "It'll be a shame when it's all over. I really enjoy acting with you."

I had to avert my eyes from hers in hopes that it would help me hide my blush, but I nodded in agreement. "I really enjoy it too." I said. "I hope that we can still spend more time with each other after it's over."

I didn't see her reaction to my words as I kept my eyes down, going back to the first page of the script in my hands, but when she spoke, I could hear the smile in her tone. "I'd like that."

I instantly looked up to meet her eyes again and I saw her bright smile. I knew the smile I gave her in return probably came off a little shy, but I didn't mind so much. "We should go tell Alya that we're ready." She continued, and I only nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Are you two ready to film the next scene?" Nino asked me as I stood with him as he prepared the camera. I heard him, though my eyes were fixed on Marinette as she spoke with Alya quietly a little way away from us.

"Yeah." I said, but took a few more seconds before I looked away from Marinette. I probably wouldn't have looked away except I noticed her eyes flicking in my direction and I would have been embarrassed if she had caught me looking at her.

"She and I were running through our lines while we waited for you and Alya after school." I added as I looked towards my best friend. Thankfully, his attention had been on his camera the whole time so I knew that he hadn't seen me looking at Marinette either.

"Yeah, Alya and I saw you two leaving school together." Nino commented before his head lifted and he looked at me questioningly. "What was up with that, by the way?"

"What do you mean?" I asked after thinking for myself for a couple seconds what he may have meant by that.

"I mean, you seem to be spending a lot more time with her lately." He clarified, and I had to look away from him as I hoped that my cheeks weren't becoming as red as they were starting to feel. "A lot more time than usual at least. Is there something going on between you two?"

"No there's not." I answered, forcing myself to wait a millisecond longer before responding, not wanting to give anything away. "She and I are the leading roles for the movie, and we have a lot of scenes together. It helps to run through them with her."

"Right." Nino said with a nod and grinned slightly to himself as he looked down at the camera again. "Right, but that doesn't exactly explain why you keep looking over at her."

I quickly looked at him again, and it was only then that I realized that my eyes had wandered to rest on her once again. This time I was sure my cheeks showed my embarrassment.

_So, he has noticed me looking at her…_

"She's just a friend." I said, though I didn't like the feeling of my heart dropping at the statement. "Nothing more and nothing less. There's nothing going on between us."

Nino chuckled softly in response. "I see." He said, though he obviously wasn't taking me completely seriously. "But Adrien, just know it wouldn't be bad if you had feelings for her."

"Why do you say that?" I questioned curiously as my eyes landed on Marinette again.

"She's pretty cool." Nino explained. "Remember, I had a thing for her before I got to know Alya better. Plus, if you and her got together, we could double up on dates."

Despite the feeling of my cheeks heating up a little more, I really liked that idea of going on double dates with Alya and Nino, but I really liked the idea of going on solo dates with just Marinette. All I had to do was wait until this film was over, then I would ask her on a date. I still had time to decide what it would be, but I really hoped she would enjoy it enough for it to lead to more to follow.

I don't know when, but suddenly I saw blue and I instantly knew it was Marinette's eyes. She was looking right at me, catching me looking at her, though I wasn't just looking at her; I was smiling as I imagined what it could be like if she were my girlfriend.

I didn't have time to look away before she noticed, but I felt my cheeks heat up so much more to the point I knew I had to be visibly blushing. My smile vanished, but it was still a couple more seconds before I could finally look away from her.

I was horrified with myself and it took all I had not to jump when I heard Nino call out to the girls that the camera was ready to film the scene. I took my time walking to the starting place with Marinette, my hands already in my jean pockets as they were supposed to be for the scene.

I was nervous, knowing that Marinette caught me staring at her. The feeling was horrible since she showed no sign of awkwardness and it only made mine more noticeable.

"Are you okay?" She asked in a quiet tone as she crossed her arms for the scene. I didn't look at her, but I forced a smile. I hoped it didn't look as awkward as I felt.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I answered, relieved that my voice was steady as well. I risked a glance at her, but seeing that small frown on her face told me that she didn't quite believe me and that she could tell that something was wrong.

I remembered our conversation that we had in her kitchen not long ago, and I felt incredibly guilty. I knew she was worried and cared about me, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her that it was her that made me nervous. I also knew that I couldn't just tell her I was fine either.

"It's just…" I trailed off, trying to think of a way I could tell her what was on my mind without giving away the fact I had a rather large crush on her. "I guess I'm just a little nervous about this scene."

"Why would you be nervous?" Marinette questioned with a small amused smile. "You've been the star of this movie for just over an hour now, and now you're nervous?"

"I don't know." I said, shrugging it off with a small smile of my own as if I found it amusing too. "It might be because I know that the ending of the movie will be coming soon, and I'm anxious to see how it ends."

What I said made literally no sense in relation to why I was actually nervous, so I closed my eyes and mentally cursed myself for sounding so ridiculous. I thought that I was probably just confusing her, so I was surprised when I heard a quiet hum in agreement.

"I get it." She said, and suddenly I detected nervousness in her own tone. "I'm anxious to see how this story ends too."

"Ready?" Alya called out before I could question her further and the two of us looked up at her. Alix stood near with the clapperboard with a smile on her face. I looked at Marinette one more time to see her nod, and suddenly her earlier nervous was gone—vanished as if it hadn't ever been there.

"Scene fifty-one, take one." Alix said, then snapped closed the clapperboard. At Alya's call of, "action!" Marinette and I started to walk together to begin the scene.

"I haven't had a Christmas tree in a while." I said to Marinette as we slowly walked together side-by-side through many evergreens. I still had both of my hands in my jean pockets while she had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Really? Why?" Marinette responded.

"Well," I answered. "I buy houses, I fix them up, and I sell them. I never usually stay in one long enough to care about the holidays."

"I can't imagine Christmas without one." Marinette responded after sighing softly and shaking her head slowly. "It's my favorite part about it."

With a last smile in my direction, which I returned, she turned her attention to a tree. I was quiet for a couple seconds before I said my next line. "So how do you choose which one?"

Marinette took in a big breath as if she were more than happy to explain. "Well," She started, looking at me when we stopped to look at the tree. "That is pretty scientific."

I nodded, muttering a "okay" in agreement, though I smiled at her playful tone. "First, you got to check to make sure it's fresh." She continued then paused to touch and feel a branch full of green needles. "Then you got to inhale deeply to see if the scent is Christmassy."

I thoughtfully leaned closer to the tree and smelled it before I turned my head to her and gave her a skeptical look. "That's not a word."

"Yes, it is." She argued with a wide smile. "'Christmassy' is definitely a word. It's an adjective. It means: to be filled with Christmas spirit."

I smiled to myself in amusement before nodding. "Okay, I see." She chuckled softly in response.

"Then you're going to give it the lean-test." She continued, turning her attention back to the tree. "You going to look straight at your tree to make sure that it's even. Then you got to lean to the right." She paused as we both leaned to the right, giving me an amused smile. "Then you got to lean to the left." She paused once more as we leaned to the left and looked at the tree.

"And then back straight," She continued, both of us straightening our stances. "And if it's all good, you found your one."

I nodded as I looked at the tree, then turned to her with a small, amused smile. "That is very scientific."

"Yes." Marinette agreed with a laugh. I couldn't help but smile as well at the sound and sight of her smile, but suddenly it vanished as her attention fell onto a different tree a short distance away. "There's the one!"

I followed her with my eyes as she walked over to the other tree, my smile vanishing as I suddenly took on a worried persona and almost looked like I was panicking on the inside.

"One?" I questioned. "There's only one? How do you know? What if you're wrong?" She turned her head and looked at me, giving me a confused, amused and concerned smile. "What if you commit to it then find out it's not the one, and then you—"

I stopped myself from talking and looked away from her, feeling embarrassed. I wasn't just acting the part, I had really found myself starting to rant on about what Zachary was getting at. I didn't just say the lines and act worried, I actually felt the part because I was so lost in the thought.

"Yeah." I said, looking back at her to finish my line and that scene. "That's a good tree."

"And that's scene!" Alya called out excitedly. "Wow, one take! You two are naturals! Made to star together!"

"I agree with that!" Alix called out, and Nino grinned as he gave me a look. I looked away, unable to meet his eyes as I felt embarrassed.

"Let's just head over to Marinette's home." I said quickly to dismiss their teasing comments. "And get the tree decorated." I glanced over to Marinette to see her smiling at me, showing no sign of awkwardness in response to their teasing. I wish that I was like her—Not affected by our friends' teasing remarks.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

Adrien had seemed to act weird lately, and I didn't know why, but I found it rather amusing. I never thought Adrien was one to get nervous over this film, but now that I think about it, maybe he always has been.

It was probably just the fact that I really liked him that blinded me from the fact that he was a normal human being, just like me. Naturally there would be things to make him nervous, and in turn naturally I would be amused.

"What?" I heard his voice break through my thoughts, sounding curious and almost a little offended. I looked at him, smiling in more amusement as I saw that his facial expression matched his tone.

"I'm just thinking." I responded after looking away from him and back to the street ahead of us. The two of us were walking to my house together to decorate the waiting Christmas tree that my parents recently put up. Alya, Nino and Alix were supposed to come with us, but something came up for each of them. I wasn't surprised in the slightest, and would have bet anything that they were just giving Adrien and I time alone.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

I hesitated. I couldn't tell him what I was thinking otherwise he'd hear that I was thinking about my crush on him blinding me from really knowing who he was. The idea of telling him made me imagine his reaction: surprise at hearing that I liked him, embarrassment for the same reason, maybe hurt that I thought it was all funny.

There was something else I could imagine: disappointment. I knew that if I told him, he would feel terrible for having to turn me down. I know that he didn't see me how I saw him, and I was coming to better terms with that each day. Slowly, very slowly, I was getting over the fact that we wouldn't be more than friends.

So, instead of saying what I really thought, I said the first thing that came to my mind. "I was just remembering the last time we were at my house together getting ready for a scene."

"You mean when we were painting?" He asked, and I smiled more in amusement and happiness when I saw his face breaking into a grin. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun."

It made my heart fill with happiness to see him also happy as we relived the memory, talking about it on the rest of our walk to my home together. The fact that he had worn my dad's shirt that was huge on him, that we ended up covered with paint, and that it was something that made us both agree that we wanted to have more moments and memories like it.

It was okay for me to still have this crush on him, wasn't it? There was no harm in letting it last as long as it could, possibly lasting until I found someone else to love, right? It wasn't like I was seriously hoping for a real future that I could envision with him; this crush I had on him was completely temporary, and I knew it.

But as the last thought ran through my mind concerning a no longer existing future, I looked at him. I saw the way he was smiling to himself as we fell into comfortable silence, and I knew that everything I thought was a lie. I was lying to myself when I told myself that this crush wouldn't last long, and I knew it.

Because as I looked at him now, smiling and obviously quite happy to be sharing a memory with me, I knew that I still wanted to make this moment last forever—To always see him so happy and be lucky enough to be the cause of his smile.

_I'm still so in love with him… And eventually it will be my biggest regret, not moving on quite yet._

* * *

I smiled to myself as I took a second to look at the tree, seeing that it was nearly ready for Adrien and I to film our next scene together. "It looks amazing." I commented, still smiling at the tree before I turned my attention to the smiling blond next to me, also looking at the tree.

"Yeah, it does." He agreed, and I smiled a little more when he looked towards me and our eyes met. He looked away a couple seconds later, looking down at the glass ball in his hand. "I haven't done this in years…"

My smile faded to a look of surprise as I looked at him questioningly. "You haven't decorated a Christmas tree in years?" I asked to clarify his statement, and he nodded slowly in response.

"It was one of my mother's favorite parts about Christmas." He responded, and instantly my smile faded. I hadn't noticed when his warm, happy smile turned into a sad one. "After she left, my father has refused for us to put one up in the house. They always remind him too much of her."

"I'm sorry." I said after he was quiet for a moment, though I wasn't really sure exactly what I was sorry for. I knew I could never come close to understanding what it would be like to have only one parent—to always feel like there was something missing.

"What for?" Adrien asked me with a small amused smile as he looked at the tree, focusing on the ornament he was hanging on a branch. "You've done nothing wrong. Unless you have and I don't know about it?"

"No, no." I said quickly, unable to hide a small smile of my own at the light tone of his words. "It's just… I've never really thought about how hard it must be to you to live without your mom. You two seem like you were very close."

Adrien's amusement faded from his smile and he seemed to be lost in thought. Slowly, he nodded then looked down as he picked up a couple more ornaments, one for each hand. "We were." He agreed. "I was always much closer to my mother than father."

I looked at him and frowned slightly. I didn't like seeing that it made him sad to think of his mom leaving, even if he was trying to hide it with a smile. Even then, I couldn't help but feel curious about what he said. "Then why—"

"Why am I living with my father and not my mother?" Adrien asked as he looked at me with a small smile, slight amusement showing in his eyes and I knew it had to have been because of my surprise that he knew what I was going to ask.

"Mother knew that my father wanted me to stay as his model." He said. "To help his business. Even though it hurt her very much because she and I wouldn't be able to see each other because she and my father don't get along well anymore, she still loves my father enough to help his business."

I thought about his answer and I felt a growing sense of admiration for Adrien's mom grow inside of me. "She sounds like a strong woman." I said with a small smile while hanging up another ornament, and he nodded in agreement. "But surely your father could have hired other models for his business?"

"My father may not seem to all the time like my mother, but I know that he cares about me." Adrien responded. "He's very protective, I think, because I remind him of my mother. I took after her looks, and I've been told many times that I have her personality and temper."

"You have a temper?" I asked, unable to hold back from giggling at the statement. "I don't think I've ever seen you angry."

Adrien let out a breath of amusement and shook his head at me as we each hung up another ornament. "Yes, you have." He said simply. "You've seen me get angry with Chloe."

"Right, I do remember that." I said after a second of thinking, then laughed a little more. "The look on her face was priceless. You took everyone by surprise when you stood up to her like that."

"She was talking down to you." He said, lowering his arm from the branch he just hung an ornament and looked at me. "She was bringing you down and insulting you, and I couldn't let her do that."

I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head to dismiss my illusion of the absolute seriousness I thought I heard in his voice. "She's been doing that to everyone for years." I said. "Long before you started coming to school. We're all used to it."

"That's no excuse for her rude behavior." Adrien argued, and I was taken aback by the sudden change of his tone. There was no mistaking that serious tone now as he looked at me intently. "She shouldn't be talking to you like that, Marinette. You're an amazing girl, and you don't deserve being treated how she treats you. You deserve so much better."

I stared at him in shock as I took in his words and sincerity of his tone. I could feel my cheeks continuously heating up, but I was too surprised by his seriousness that I couldn't smile. Thankfully, he looked away from me almost immediately after he said the words, and I was probably mistaken, but it almost looked like his cheeks were a little pink.

"She really would have liked you." He said quietly, but I still heard. I knew that he was back to talking about his mother, and his words touched my heart. "I wish you could have met her."

"I think I would have really liked to meet her too." I said back to him, matching his quiet tone. He looked at me and I looked at him. Our eyes met, and each of us wore a small smile. No other words were said, but it was clear that we were each perfectly content with saying nothing at all.

* * *

I waited in my family's living room for Rose to show up, smiling as I looked at the recently decorated tree in the room. I replayed the most recent events in my mind and smiled to myself happily. Being with Adrien always made me so happy, and though I knew deep down that I probably wouldn't always feel that way about him, I couldn't help but love the warm feeling I had in my heart.

Alya had walked into the room with Nino and Alix, and saw that Adrien and I had finished getting the tree ready for the scene. She had given me this look that confirmed my suspicions that she had purposefully given Adrien and I time to be alone with each other, though I could hardly complain even though I had told her before not to try to push us together.

We started filming not long after, Adrien and I still smiling softly at each other like we were earlier while Nino started the recording, Alix declared the scene and take, and Alya called for action.

"When I was a little girl," I said, starting off this scene. "There was always this… One Christmas present under the tree that was unaccounted for. My parents said that they didn't buy it, so that's how my sister and I knew it was from Santa."

The two of us were hanging the rest of the ornaments on the tree for the scene, the two cats laying under the low branches next to a few gifts. I had been busy with one as I acted lost in thought over this memory, and Adrien was looking at me with a fond smile that I was trying hard to ignore because I knew it was just for the film.

"It was always my favorite present." I added, finishing the short story. My attention turned to Adrien and I was quiet for a moment before I asked, "What are your favorite Christmas traditions?"

"Oh, I usually end up working Christmas Eve and Christmas day." He replied. "The guys with families really want the time off, so… I end up being the guy who holds down fort."

"That must be hard." I had commented, looking down again at another ornament.

"Well, it's no big deal." He replied easily as he finished hanging up another ornament. "What do you do for Christmas?"

I had taken in a long breath as I hesitated for a second to collect my thoughts before I answered. "This year on Christmas I'm volunteering at a big pet rescue adoption the shelter's putting on in the park. Then I'll go to my sister's for dinner."

"You know, I really want to thank you again." He said when I finished my line, and I had looked at him curiously. "For all the work you did around the house."

"Oh," I said, shaking my head dismissively.

"I may be able to sell it sooner than I thought." He added, and I looked at him with a surprised expression mixed with sadness, as if I didn't like the idea of him selling the house, because it would mean Zachary and Marilee wouldn't have that place together anymore.

"That's great." I said, smiling again, though I still looked a little upset for the part. "You didn't just fix up another house this time. You built a real home… For a real family."

Adrien didn't say another word as we looked at each other with small sad smiles that we each tried to hide, as if we were both thinking the same thing. That we were each other's family, and neither of us wanted to see our time together end. Though, of course it was only for the film.

Alya, Nino and Alix were satisfied with the turnout, and Adrien seemed happy with it as well, especially when Natalie called to tell him he had to go home. He was happy that we finished the scene in one take, because it meant he wouldn't risk making his father unhappy.

"Hey Marinette!"

I looked up quickly at the sound of my name and took a moment to realize I was still sitting on the couch in the family room. I had become so lost in thought I forgot what I had been doing.

"Hi, Rose." I said with a smile. "Are you ready for this scene?"

"You mean our second to last one together?" Rose asked with a smile, took in a deep breath, then nodded. "Yes. I am very ready. Are you?"

I couldn't believe that she was right. This would be our second to last scene together, which meant I had one last one with Kagami, and only a few more with Adrien before it was all over. I smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, I am. Let's do this."


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Ahhh! This story is coming closer to an end!**

* * *

Chapter 40

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

Rose and I sat together on the living room couch as we waited for Alya and Nino to come back. They had left not long after Adrien did to go get the next four scenes of the film for us while we waited for Rose to show up because Alya had forgotten them earlier, and Nino wanted to tag along.

"I really like how the Christmas tree turned out." She said to me with a smile. The two of us turned and looked at the tree and I smiled to myself as I remembered what happened as it was being decorated.

"Thank you." I said with a happy tone. "Adrien and I decorated it earlier this evening before our latest scene together."

"Just the two of you?" Rose asked, and I giggled at how impressed she sounded.

"Well, when you have the taste of an aspiring designer and a model in charge of decoration—"

"That's not what I was getting at." Rose interrupted with a slight laugh. "I had no doubt that it would look great. I was just thinking about how Alya, Nino and Alix weren't there to help you."

"They said that they couldn't make it." I said, shaking my head to myself as I thought about the most probable reason why. "I know it's because they were wanting Adrien and I to spend more time alone, and I know you're in on it too."

Rose had given me a look of surprise that was so obviously forced that I knew my suspicions were all confirmed. She let out a sigh then slowly nodded, accepting that I figured it out. "So, you know the plan Alya had to get you and Adrien together through this movie." She then gave me a small, hopeful smile. "Is it working?"

I felt my heart sink as I knew the plan wasn't working as well as they all would have hoped, so I just shrugged. "I don't think the movie will bring him and I together."

"Wait, really?" Asked Rose, shocked by my assumption. "Why would you say that? You two have spent so much more time together than you have all school-year!"

I gave her a weak smile and slowly shook my head. "Yeah, we have, but it's not what you think. Instead of us growing closer and him falling for me, we're just better friends than we were before. We are closer, but there's nothing I can do to make him see me as more than just a friend."

"But I've heard from Alya that the two of you are so happy when you spend time together." Rose argued, her tone giving away her confusion. "Are you really so sure that he doesn't see you as more than a friend?"

"He seemed uncomfortable when he mentioned the ending of the movie." I said with a sigh. "I'm positive that he was thinking about the kiss and that we have to have one for this movie."

"Well, I think that he's just nervous about it." Rose countered thoughtfully.

I scoffed lightly and shook my head. "What would he be nervous for?"

Rose looked at me and her thoughtful look slowly changed to a wide grin. "He wants to kiss you!"

I quickly shook my head, though there was nothing I could do that would stop my cheeks from heating up or the hope I felt rising in my chest. "No, that's not it. That can't be it."

Rose rolled her eyes at me playfully. "Fine. Be in denial if you want, but I think that he likes you." When I opened my mouth to object, she quickly added, "And there's nothing you can do to change my mind!"

My mouth closed and I shook my head in amusement. I knew there was nothing I could say to get my friends to stop hoping that one day Adrien and I would be together, and a part of me desperately hoped for the same.

But I also couldn't let myself get my hopes too high. I knew there would only be disappointment and heartache in the end, because I knew that I would always be only a friend to Adrien.

It was about twenty minutes later when Alya and Nino joined us in the living room. When I saw them, I looked at my wrist, though I wasn't wearing a watch, and gave them a teasingly stern look. "What took you guys so long?"

Alya dismissed my tease as she handed over the next scenes to me and to Rose. "Adrien left early, and I had to get these to him too." Alya explained. "So, Nino and I made a stop on the way back."

"You changed scenes fifty-four and fifty-five?" Rose asked with a frown. "Why? I liked those scenes!"

"I didn't think that a kiss under the mistletoe was necessary." I argued, feeling a little uncomfortable. It wasn't so much that I didn't think there should be a kiss for the movie, it was that I didn't think I could handle kissing Adrien. "Besides, there's going to be one at the end, so you'll still get the satisfaction of seeing a kiss between the characters."

"That's not why I wanted there to be a kiss…" Rose muttered. I felt my cheeks burn because I knew exactly the reason: they all wanted Adrien and I to kiss, and I had to admit, a kiss under mistletoe would be adorable.

"Anyway," Alya spoke up, nudging Nino to go get his camera. "Are you to ready to film this scene?"

* * *

Eight takes later, Rose and I once again walked up the stairs to my bedroom, what we were using as the place Marilee was staying while she lived with Zachary. "Nothing's happening." I said insistently as I followed Rose up the stairs. I had that light blue and white zip-up sweater on that I wore when putting up the Christmas lights, and black back hanging off my shoulder, and a plate of Christmas cookies on a plate. "You know, we're just roommates."

Rose nodded before speaking. "But you're both single, and you like each other."

I scoffed with an amused smile. "It's not like that." I argued. "He's not even looking for a serious relationship." I paused as I set the plate of cookies at my desk, then walked to my chaise where Rose had sat down. "And he dates models!" I paused again as I sat down and gestured to myself. "And I'm… I-I-I don't have time to date because I'm busy."

"But you live together, and you spend all your free time together." Rose put in and I just smiled and shook my head.

"It's not like that." I insisted again, my smile fading.

"That's crazy!" Rose exclaimed. "I mean, you're perfect together! You enjoy each other's company, you get along great, and your cats are best friends! I mean, how many more clues do you need?"

"I—We're not going down that road." I said dismissively. "I'm not going to fall for somebody who's clearly not interested in a serious relationship."

"You can't decide not to fall in love with someone." Rose told me with a small smile and a gentler tone. "It just happens. Do you want to know how he feels about you? You know, test the waters?"

Rose's smile grew to a grin as she saw my interest in what she said then leaned over to a small bouquet of white flowers that I had on a small table near my chaise and took out a small green stem with a few leaves and green berries on it then showed it to me. We broke it off during the third take, and kept reusing it ever since.

"Use this." She told me, looking proud of her idea.

"What is that?" I asked, looking at the stem skeptically.

"Mistletoe." Rose said as if it were obvious and raised it above her head, holding it upside down for emphasis.

"That's not mistletoe." I told her, shaking my head and crossing my arms.

"It's a metaphor." Rose said exasperatingly, then smiled at me in amusement as she put the stem down on my lap for me to look at. "Go get some mistletoe. Put it in the house. If he stands underneath it and gives you a kiss on the cheek, then he just wants to be friends. But if he kisses you on the lips, then he really likes you."

I looked away from her and scoffed in amusement. "That—" I cut myself off as I chuckled softly. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard." My expression suddenly turned very serious and I looked at Rose. "I would never do that. Not in a million years."

"And that's scene!" Alya called happily. "Nine total tries, but you did it. There are now officially eleven more scenes to film."

"Then why do we only have the scripts for the next six scenes to record?" I asked curiously as I picked up the stem and stood with Rose from my chaise. "That leaves five more that aren't written yet. How do you know there won't be more?"

"Because I've already written them out." Alya explained. "I just haven't quite finished looking over all of them yet to make sure they're perfect."

Rose and I nodded slowly before Rose's phone went off in her pocket. She took it out, glanced at it, then gave Alya and I an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but I need to go now. I'm glad we got our scene finished, Marinette, and I can't wait to see what we'll be doing in our last one together!"

"Me too." I agreed with a smile before my eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, before you go—"

I quickly walked over to my desk, throwing away the stem in a wastebasket on the way, and picked up a Christmas cookie. "Here, take one with you." I told her with a smile.

"Thank you!" Rose said happily as she took the cookie I offered her. "Your family makes the best sweets."

"You're very welcome." I said with a smile. "We'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Yeah." Alya, Nino and Alix each added their agreement, then said their farewells.

We spent the next ten minutes finishing off the cookies that my parents had baked for us to use in the scene, talking and joking around about the possible directions this specific scene that was just filmed could take us.

"I was really hoping for a kiss." Alix said, shooting me a teasing look.

"I bet Adrien wouldn't have minded." Nino added, causing me to quickly look at him in surprise. He noticed my look and chuckled before he clarified. "I mean, he had to kiss Chloe earlier, and he didn't seem very happy about it. I'm sure he'd consider you a total upgrade."

I smiled along with the others in amusement, but mine felt forced. Nino had a point, and I had to admit it to myself: it probably was the only reason why Adrien wouldn't mind kissing me. My heart sunk as I thought about the last time we almost kissed, though that was also for a school film.

Mylene and Adrien played the leading roles, but Chloe made Mylene upset to the point it took a lot of convincing to get her to come back and take her part. Adrien almost had to kiss Chloe when she tried filling in for Mylene, but he wasn't happy about it at all. Later Alya told me to fill in for Mylene instead when she sent Chloe away on an errand, so he and I almost kissed.

Alya swore to me that he seemed happy to be kissing me, but I was sure it was only because it meant he wouldn't have to kiss Chloe. Besides, that kiss was entirely for the film just like the one at the end of this movie would be. It wouldn't mean anything.

"Marinette, are you okay?" I heard Alya ask, bringing me out of my thoughts. I focused on her before I realized it was only her and I left in my room.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked curiously, looking around my room just to confirm that they were all gone. I looked back at Alya when I heard her laughter.

"Really?" She asked with a chuckle. "We just said 'goodbye' to them not even a minute ago! Are you that lost in thought?"

"I guess so." I shrugged and smiled slightly in amusement, but I didn't say anything else.

Alya looked at me with a concerned expression. "Are you okay, Girl? What's on your mind?"

"Is there really no kiss under the mistletoe?" I asked, evading her question. She gave me a curious look.

"Why, have you suddenly changed your mind again and want there to be a kiss?"

"No." I said quickly. "No, I don't want there to be a kiss. I don't want there to be any kiss, actually, but I know we need at least one for the romance."

"What's changed?" Alya asked, concern for me obvious in her tone. "Just a month ago, you would have been over the moon with happiness at the thought of being able to kiss Adrien."

I shrugged and forced a smile in response. "I've thought a lot more about it all." I answered. "It's just… Hard seeing that our characters are growing closer romantically while we're only growing closer as friends. None of what's happening in the movie is real. All the conversations and fun we've had together has mostly been just for the film. There's no real growing romance between Adrien and I."

Alya looked like she wanted to disagree, and I know that she did, but she held it in and slowly nodded instead. She didn't say anything, so I let out a shaky breath and continued, trying really hard not to start crying over this.

"I just know… That if he and I kiss… It won't really mean anything. It will be for the movie, and nothing more. I want it all to mean something in reality so bad, Alya, but it won't. This plan of yours isn't working."

"I'm so sorry, Marinette." Alya told me with a frown and gave me a hug, which I returned. "If I had known… Do you want me to take out that last kiss too? You don't have to worry about kissing him at all if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay." I said, forcing a smile. "I'll be okay. As long as I keep reminding myself not to think of it as meaning anything, I'll be okay."

Alya looked at me, obviously skeptical of my claim. But she let it go and didn't make another comment about Adrien or a kiss for the rest of the time she was there with me. She looked over the next couple scenes with me before she had to leave, and I smiled to myself as I read the lines.

I knew I would be okay. It might hurt, but I'd rather feel pain and hurt over this than not feel anything at all. I would put aside my feelings for Adrien and get over him overtime. He and I would have a great friendship, I just knew it.

_Even if it hurts now, I'll be okay…_


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: I loved writing this chapter SO MUCH! It's a little shorted than the other more "current" chapters (meaning 20ish and on) but I am VERY satisfied with the turnout!**

* * *

Chapter 41

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

A strange sense of calm was continuously washing over me as I held the small mistletoe decoration in my hands, waiting for my cue to start this scene. It was easy enough, really. I would put up the mistletoe, Adrien would come in, he'd walk past me, we would talk for a little bit, then I would take it back down.

I still wondered exactly what Sarah, Rose's character, would make of Zachary not kissing Marilee at all. She had mentioned a kiss on the cheek, a kiss on the lips, but nothing about there not being a kiss.

_Way to bring some drama into these last few scenes, Alya…_

I smiled to myself in slight amusement as I looked towards the girl questioningly. "Is he here yet?"

"Not yet." Alya answered, looking out the window towards the streets below. Nino was getting the camera ready in the meantime, Alix was lazily opening and closing the clapperboard, and Kagami was with the two cats, sitting on the staircase.

"Are you excited for this kiss?" She asked with a teasing tone as she pet Ambrose while Queenie lazily laid on a step below her.

I smiled in amusement and shook my head at Kagami. "There's not going to be a mistletoe kiss." I said. "And don't worry, I'm okay with it. I don't want there to be one."

Kagami gave me a look but shrugged and didn't press the issue. The others didn't say anything about it either until suddenly Alya spoke up excitedly. "He's here! Get into place, Marinette, and Nino, get that camera ready. I'm going to go out and tell him that we're ready to shoot."

I smiled to myself as I walked over to the doorway where I would put up the mistletoe then turned to the position I would take. Standing in my bare feet, but the same outfit I wore for the previous scene with Rose, I felt more than ready for this; to film the scene, then laugh about it with the others when we watched it later.

Alya came back inside a few minutes later and grinned at me. "Alright, Adrien's ready." She said. "You start the scene out, Adrien will come in for his part when I give him his cue, and Nino will add special effects later. This scene will be great!"

I chuckled quietly at Alya's excitement, and as Alix called out, "scene fifty-four, take one" I forced my smile away. Lifting my arms, I prepared to put the mistletoe up on a small hook in the doorway and kept and waited until I heard Alya call, "action!"

I fiddled with the ribbon on the mistletoe for a moment, acting nervous. I glanced over at the cats on the staircase, each on a different step. Queenie was still laying on the step she was on when Kagami was there, and Ambrose was a step above, sitting and staring at me. Nino would later insert a couple meows to make it sound as though I were holding a conversation with them.

"This is nothing." I said to the cats before I lifted my arms higher to hang it on that small hook. "I'm just decorating."

I turned my head to look at the cats again with a slight glare, after a meow. "Don't judge me." I turned back to the mistletoe and slowly took my hands away from it, admiring the way it looked hanging in the doorway. "Okay…" I muttered to myself, turning in the doorway. I put both hands on my hips as if practicing a pose, then put a hand on the side of the doorway and leaned forward slightly, looking extremely nervous.

I walked forward to the window Alya had been looking out of earlier then peered outside. Kagami was out there for her place to shine a flashlight on the window to make it look like headlights from a vehicle, and Nino would add the sound of a truck coming to a stop.

I winced and grimaced before quickly moving away from the window and hurrying back over to the doorway. I turned around quickly towards the front door where Adrien would walk through, putting both hands on the sides of the doorway. I frantically stepped in place and moved my arms and head around, putting on a show of me panicking last minute before he would come it.

I checked the clothes I wore by brushing them of, quickly touched my loose hair, put a hand on my hip as my other went up next to the mistletoe, then immediately came back down as my other hand rose to my zip-up sweater. I unzipped it halfway to show a white, laced tank top underneath before grimacing and zipping the zipper back up quickly. One hand went back to my hip and the other up to the side of the doorway just as the front door opened.

"Hey!" I said with an awkward, happy tone. "Welcome home!" Adrien gave me a quick smile as he walked in then closed the door.

"Hey." He greeted me, starting to take off the jacket he was wearing over a red shirt.

"Hey." I instantly responded awkwardly.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"Good." I replied with an awkward nod as I shifted my feet slightly. "Great. Great. How—How was yours?"

"Oh," Adrien said with a grin as he finished taking the jacket off and held it in his arms. "Great."

He took a step towards me and I puckered my lips ever so slightly only to have him walk right by me through the doorway. A look of disappointment crossed my features and I stayed in that exact position before I turned to the direction he was walking, both hands awkwardly on my hips. I just saw him walking into the kitchen before I turned away.

"Well," I called, looking down and talking as if I were trying to keep disappointment out of my voice. I then looked up towards the door he walked through, forced a big smile, then looked away again, pointing to the staircase with my thumb. "I'll see you later."

* * *

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I walked into the kitchen and waited a few seconds then came back after I heard Marinette call after me. "Oh." I said, sounding and looking just as disappointed as I felt as I rolled up the sleeves on the long-sleeved button-up shirt to just below my elbows. "You're leaving?"

She looked at me for a second with a wistful look, and I mentally cursed myself for even considering that it may have just been more than just for this movie. "Yeah." She said after a couple seconds. "Why?"

As she said her line, my eyes flicked up to acknowledge the mistletoe above her. The same mistletoe that had been above the both of us when I walked under the doorway. My eyes went back to her, though I kept glancing at it as I said my line then as she said hers following it.

"I just—Um.." I started, cursing myself again for stuttering. It wasn't in the script, yet Alya wasn't calling "cut" either. Maybe she was wanting to see how this played out? "I just thought that maybe you could help me… grout the kitchen sink?"

Marinette placed a hand over her chest and gave me a smile, only reminding me of why I felt disappointed while filming this scene. "Sure." She said then looked down for a second before looking at me again. "Yeah, I could do that." Her hands settled back on her hips. I smiled slightly before looking down, my own hands awkwardly on my hips. Without another word, I turned and walked back into the kitchen.

When I turned and walked into the kitchen a second time, I knew that this was supposed to be the end of the scene. Marinette would take down the mistletoe, and in the next scene I would talk to the other guys about it. They would scold me for not kissing her, and the movie would go on.

But there was just something about this part of the movie that didn't sit quite right with me. I remember Alya saying something to me about this scene yesterday when she gave me the revised script and I questioned why she revised it the way that she did.

_"Wouldn't a kiss be more ideal here for the movie?" I had asked, curious to know why she took it out. "The romance between Marilee and Zachary is building, after all." Alya gave me a look and a slight smirk before she replied to my question. _

_"You know what? Just do what you feel is the best for your character."_

I still felt the disappointment I felt yesterday when I found out Alya revised the script and that there wouldn't be a mistletoe kiss. But what Alya said… That was her giving me permission to go off-script, wasn't it? That if I wanted to change the end of this scene, I could? I turned around and faced the doorway I just walked through, feeling ready to walk right back over to Marinette and change how the scene was written.

_But should I?_

I felt nervous as I actually thought about what it would be like to kiss her. I already kissed Chloe, but I knew that it would be so much different to kiss Marinette. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to do it. But was it necessary for the movie?

I knew I was running out of time to make a choice, but I knew my decision already. I had to act now because I knew that if I didn't, I would regret it.

Taking in a quick breath in hopes to steady my racing heart, I took a step forward. Then another, and another, until I was walking quickly back to Marinette. I watched as she was taking down the mistletoe, and I knew I wasn't too late.

Just as she took down the mistletoe I reached her. Instead of letting her mutter her line of failure, I put my right hand on her left side of her waist and turned her towards me. I barely noticed the look of complete surprise as I leaned in and closed my eyes.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds, during which I had moved a hand up to gently hold her cheek. As I pulled away, but stayed close to her, I couldn't help but smile as I watched her eyes open and look from my eyes to my lips then back up again many times. She was confused and in shock to say the least.

"Sorry." I said quietly with a slight awkward chuckle, knowing that I completely went off script. "I didn't have a choice."

Marinette continued to stare at me in shock as I took my hands away from her face and waist, her lips parted slightly in surprise. "Wha—?" She questioned, obviously dazed.

"Mistletoe." I said, looking down at the small branch that was in her hand then looked back to her stunned face.

"Oh." She said then awkwardly raised her arm as if to show me the mistletoe I was referring to. She was smiling at me with the most awkward smile I thought that I had ever seen on her. "Yeah…"

We looked at each other for a few more seconds, and I swear her expression was the most adorable reaction I could have ever imagined getting from her by kissing her. I definitely didn't regret changing the scene up one bit.

I looked up from her and over to Alya, Nino, Alix and Kagami as they all gaped at me in shock. "Sorry," I repeated, unable to stop smiling even though I knew I'd messed up the scene. "I just thought—I liked this scene ending better. Do we need to run another take?"

"No." Alya said so quickly that she almost cut me off. My smile faltered slightly in surprise.

"Really?" I asked. "Are you sure? I went off script and—"

"Improvised very nicely." Alya interrupted with a grin. "As for the scenes to follow, I'll have to revise them, but I'll make this work."

"Are you sure?" I questioned, feeling a little guilty now as I thought about what Alya had to change now because of me.

"Positive." Alya assured me. "Don't you worry about a thing, Adrien. I can definitely make this work."

There was something about the way that everyone, except for Marinette who was still stunned, looked at me with wide grins that told me I had made the right choice, and that maybe this kiss under the mistletoe was what everyone wanted after all.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: Look who's back! I finally caught a break from school! Thank you Corona! (Not really because a worldwide pandemic is terrible!) I've been off for three weeks now, and I won't be going back until this fall.  
I'm no longer a junior everyone. I AM A SENIOR!  
And I already have a bad case of senioritis.**

**Anyway... I hope you all are doing well out there wherever you are! Here's a little Christmas spirit brought to you in Spring! Enjoy!  
(It's about time, right?!)**

* * *

Chapter 42

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I was standing off to the side with Alya, watching the guys trying to get through their scene at the fire station. There seemed to be something off with Adrien since he was usually able to get into character so easily, but it was him who was forgetting lines or missing his cue.

"Marinette, could you please get me a cream soda?" Alya asked after she and Nino called, "Cut!" for the third time. I nodded and let my eyes linger on Adrien a few moments longer before I turned to her.

"Yeah, I'll be right back." I said, glanced at Adrien one more time, then turned and walked out of the garage and into the main building. After walking down a few halls I spotted the vending machine that the firemen had shown us when we first started to film here. They told us that we could help ourselves to a soda whenever we wanted while we were filming there.

Though as soon as I started to look for the soda option that Alya asked for, my mind blanked. I completely forgot what she wanted as my mind drifted elsewhere.

Despite her saying she would revise the following scene, Alya just reintroduced the original script she came up with. The one in which a kiss under the mistletoe was scripted. A kiss had happened, but it hadn't been scripted.

My cheeks heated up as I thought about the kiss again, bringing a hand up to softly touch my lips. It had only happened yesterday, but it was still so fresh in my mind. I never thought that something like it would ever happen.

_Adrien kissed me!_

It took everything I had in me not to squeal out loud. He went off script and kissed me when there wasn't a kiss written in anymore. Adrien wanted to kiss me, didn't he? Otherwise he wouldn't have done it since he didn't have to.

The kiss meant that he liked me, right? I guess Alya, Alix, and Rose were all correct in their theory that Adrien really was starting to like me thanks to this film and the romance between the characters that we play. Maybe I'm the reason he was struggling through the scene?

I looked towards the garage where I knew the boys were on the fifth, maybe sixth take of their scene and smiled widely to myself, unable to keep myself from feeling extreme happiness again. Maybe I should tell him my feelings for him?

I know that I had been trying to tell myself that there was no way that Adrien would actually like me as more than a friend, and that I had to push aside my feelings for him for the sake of both our friendship and the film, but after that kiss things changed.

I was confident that there was a much larger possibility that Adrien liked me too, and I was really anxious to tell him how I feel about him. Could we really become something more than friends all thanks to this Christmas romance movie?

_I'll have to thank Alya later. Her plan actually worked!_

Suddenly I remembered which soda she was wanting me to get and I pressed the button for cream soda. When it fell to the dispenser, I reached down to get it, but I stood up straight up again slowly as I looked at the options.

After thinking for about half a minute, I pressed the button for a cream soda for myself as well. I was in a great mood, things in life were looking up for me, so I think I deserved to pamper myself. I picked up the soda with my free hand and smiled to myself while turning back to the direction of the garage.

A small sigh escaped my lips as I thought once more about Adrien and how excited I was to truly believe that he liked me too. The short amount of time that it took me to walk back to the door that separated the main building from the garage was long enough for me to decide something.

After this scene was finished I would talk to Adrien about that kiss under the mistletoe. I had never felt more anxious, yet so very excited to admit to him that I love him. I've never felt so sure about doing anything else in my life at the moment.

* * *

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"Ohh no…" I said to myself. My voice was muffled because I had my face buried in my hands while I paced across the floor. I pulled my hands away from my face but kept them up, staring down as my thoughts raced. "This cannot be happening… This is not happening… to me…"

It was the seventh take of scene fifty-five with the guys at the fire station. There was only me to blame for having to restart the scene so many times since I kept thinking back to that kiss. The things the guys had to say for their lines weren't helping me clear my mind either.

"Calm down." Ivan said with an amused tone and I stopped pacing and looked at him, lowering my hands. "It's not such a bad thing."

Kim looked over from where he had been standing on Ivan's other side and started towards me with slow steps. "Answer me this: There's a—uh—fourth step before you fall off the cliff."

"I though you said there were only three?" I questioned, placing my hands on my hips as I looked at him skeptically.

"It varies." Kim said, then paused for dramatic effect. "Has she asked you to meet her family yet?"

"No." I answered, my tone rising very slightly to show hope. "Not yet."

"Well…" Kim continued with a supportive tone to show I wasn't completely hopeless yet. "There's that then."

"Yeah, but have you kissed her?" Max asked from where he stood on top of the fire engine we were near.

"No." I answered quickly. Too quickly. "Yes."

All three of them instantly grinned teasingly and simultaneously teased me with a held out, "Ohh" followed by chuckles.

"But it was only because of mistletoe." I added quickly. "Okay? I didn't have a choice."

"He's toast." Max said with a serious expression and a small nod. Kim looked up at him then slowly looked back at me with a smirk to show he agreed then let out a breathy laugh.

I looked between the two of them and Ivan in the back looking at me with a smirk. I let out a small sigh right before Alya called for the scene to be over. "How hard was that?" She asked me with a smirk. "The scene was so short, yet it took seven takes."

"That's because dear lover-boy here was thinking about a certain girl, am I right?" Kim asked while nudging my side.

"N-No." I quickly protested which only made Kim's smirk grow. I went dead silent when I heard someone come through one of the side doors of the garage and made sure that my eyes were completely averted.

"Here you go, Alya." I could hear the smile in the one voice I really didn't want to hear at the moment.

"Thanks, Girl." Alya replied, though I refused to look in their direction, instead allowing a small smudge on the fire engine to become of interest to me. I heard the sound of a can opening and instantly remembered that Marinette had left after the fourth take to get our director and scriptwriter a soda.

A few seconds went by during which I was only aware of the other guys snickering at me. It was so obvious that I was trying not to look at Marinette, and even though it was because I wanted their teasing to stop I knew it was fueling them on. But I still couldn't bring myself to look at her in case she noticed how embarrassed I felt.

After those few seconds went by Alya let out a sigh of contentment. I assumed it was from taking a drink of that cream soda, and my assumption was confirmed by her saying, "Very refreshing. Thanks, Marinette."

I heard Marinette hum in response, but my attention instantly perked just after when I heard Alya continue.

"Since this scene is finished we're going to head over to the bakery to film scene fifty-six." She said. "Then I'll give you all the final five scenes that are left until the movie is finished."

All eyes landed on Alya, including my own, as we looked at her in surprise. "The last five?" Kim asked, almost sounding disappointed. "Already?"

"I don't think any of us really wants this movie to end, but I've written the ending and I'm very satisfied by it." Alya said with a smile. "Besides, since it will be finished soon, we'll be able to watch it from the beginning as a class, and maybe some of the other classes will get to see it too. It's an amazing film."

After we all said something to each other about looking forward to the end of the film, we started to part ways. I went with the other guys to change out of the firemen uniforms, though I was far ahead of the others. I wanted to avoid any confrontation with the guys ad their teasing remarks especially with Marinette still close by.

However, in my rush, I completely missed seeing Marinette trying to catch my eye and even follow me a few steps in her attempt to get my attention to talk to me.

* * *

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

I stopped walking when I knew that Adrien hadn't seen me at all and stared after him as he walked away. A frown settled across my lips as I felt rather disappointed that I wouldn't get to talk to him like I had been wanting, though the frown soon after turned into a thin, straight line of determination.

_I'll talk to him either before or after our scene together at my house!_

Alya and I left the fire station together with Nino and arrived at my home soon enough. We were all instantly greeted with the warm, sweet smell of fresh baked cookies when we walked through the front doors. Alya and I threw away our now empty cans of cream soda into the trash can in the kitchen as my mother walked up to the three of us, offering a plate full of freshly baked Christmas cookies.

We each took one and ate as we waited for Adrien to show up. Nino then busied himself with setting up his camera for the short scene while Alya and I started to set up the scene. About five minutes later my father let Adrien in.

"Come on over, Adrien." Alya called from the kitchen as she put a fresh loaf of bread on a cutting board. "We're nearly ready to start filming. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." He responded as he walked over to me and took Alya's place when Alya walked over to Nino and his camera.

I glanced at Adrien for a second but looked away again quickly. I wanted to talk to him so badly about that kiss, but I knew that now wasn't the time. So instead I looked at him and said, "Good job with your last scene."

"Thanks." Adrien answered as he looked at Alya and Nino, watching them as they were finishing up. He turned his head after a moment and our eyes met, though I noticed him giving me a small smile. "You too."

The smile I had been giving him instantly faded as I looked at him in surprise and confusion. "But…" I started to protest, though I trailed off unable to put words to my confusion. His own smile faltered slightly before fading completely as a light red hue coated his cheeks.

We looked at each other for a moment longer, each a little confused by his two last words. After a couple seconds I looked down to break our eye contact, giggling at his mistake and how embarrassed he seemed because of it. However, instead of commenting and reminding him I hadn't been acting in the last scene, I turned away from him for a moment.

"Here." I said once my laughter died down, turning back towards him with a plate. I noticed that he had leaned around me to try to see what I was doing when I was turned away, but stood straight again as his eyes lowered to the plate I was offering him. His eyes instantly widened when he realized there was about a dozen fresh Christmas cookies on them, the same batch my parents offered to Alya, Nino and me.

"Can I have one?" Adrien asked with a very hopeful tone that made me smile at him in amusement.

"Why do you think I showed you the plate, Silly?" I retorted with a teasing tone and warm smile.

Adrien looked up from the plate as he reached a hand toward the plate slowly, as if he still wasn't sure if he had permission. When I gave him a small nod of encouragement, his fingers slowly closed around a reindeer cookie then pulled away slowly, bringing the cookie towards his mouth.

I continued to smile at him in amusement at his slow actions before I turned around again to the counter and put the plate of cookies back. When I turned back toward him I saw that he had eaten nearly half of an antler.

"This is really good." He praised before he took another bite. "You're the best, Marinette."

I blushed from the compliment and shook my head, suddenly feeling a little nervous as I tucked a strand of my loose hair behind my ear. "It was my parents who made them."

Adrien gave me a small smile. "You're still the best." He said then continued to eat the cookie. I had to look away because I knew if I didn't I would become a blushing mess from the compliments and smiles he gave me. It all just seemed to confirm more to me that he did in fact like me.

_I really need to talk to him about that kiss!_


	43. Chapter 43

**A/N: Let me just apologize in advance.**

* * *

Chapter 43

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I couldn't believe that all it took was for me to be alone with Marinette for me to return to normal again. Well, almost alone. Nino and Alya were there, but it was easy to forget they were. Kim, Ivan, and Max weren't around anymore to tease me about my obvious crush on Marinette, and I felt like I could really be myself around her without becoming too embarrassed by anything stupid I might do or say.

Except for this scene that we had to film together. Zachary was supposed to be uncomfortable knowing that he liked Marilee and that she most likely liked him too. I had to put myself more in his shoes to sell the act, but I found it wasn't as easy this time.

"You guys are too happy." Alya told us with an amused tone after she stopped us in the middle of our scene for the fourth time.

"Sorry, Alya." Marinette giggled with an apologetic smile.

"Marilee and Zachary are both nervous about their relationship budding." Alya continued. "Marinette, Marilee is still in school and wasn't wanting a relationship until she graduated and opened up her own practice. Adrien, Zachary always believed that love wasn't for him and that he'd rather live his life as a bachelor. Now that they're developing feelings for each other, and they're both nervous and a little uncomfortable around each other since they're unsure about how they feel."

"I know." I said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Alya. We'll get it."

"Yeah, in fifty more takes." Alya muttered sarcastically as she turned to Nino.

"Guys, just try to really put yourselves in their shoes." Nino added. "That's always seemed to be easy enough for you."

"That's true." Marinette agreed and gave me a smile before taking a deep breath. "Alright. I think I got it now."

I nodded slowly as I looked at Alya. "Let's try again. We'll get it soon."

It took a few more takes, but slowly it seemed that Marinette and I were getting more into character. But of course that meant I had to get inside my own head. At first I just imagined myself as Zachary, feeling uneasy by the thought that Marinette liked me back, but it proved not to work because it wasn't making me feel uncomfortable. Then a new thought crossed my mind.

_What if she doesn't really like me as more than a friend?_

I was happy knowing that I liked Marinette, and I was happy when I thought about the possibility of her liking me too. But the more I thought about it the more nervous I became when I thought of telling her how I felt. What if she didn't really like me? What if I was just convincing myself that she liked me because of my feelings for her?

The more I thought about the possibility of Marinette not liking me as more as a friend, the more nervous I became when I thought about trying to tell her how I felt about her. What if I was only a friend to her and telling her that I like her just made things weird between us? What if I lose my friendship with her because it's so awkward between us?

I glanced at her and realized that the thought was very unlikely. There was really no way for my friendship with Marinette to be ruined. Even though things between us might get awkward, especially if it turns out that she doesn't really like me, I know that she'd never want to stop being my friend over something like this.

Knowing that made me feel a little better, but suddenly I was very aware about how nervous and uncomfortable I was when I thought about telling Marinette how I felt. I really didn't want to make things awkward between us, or hear her tell me that she only wants to be friends.

Even though at first I convinced myself that everything would be okay and that she probably liked me too, I was afraid because there was still a chance that she didn't like me. I couldn't take that chance. I couldn't tell her I liked her because I didn't want to make things weird. And knowing Marinette, she'd feel terrible for having to tell me she didn't feel the same way.

The more I thought about it the surer I was that this was the case. How could I really think that Marinette saw me as more than a friend? Us spending more time together has been very recent, within the last couple weeks. What if she and I were only building a stronger friendship and nothing more?

I hadn't realized I had started to do more frowning than smiling, but I noticed Alya nodding towards us approvingly. "There you go." She said. "Now you guys are more in character. Only took five more takes, but I'm sure this one will be it."

Sure enough when I looked at Marinette I saw that she seemed to be nervous, maybe even a little worried, when she looked at me. We looked at each other for a moment longer before we heard Nino tell us to get back to our original places. My eyes lowered to the bread on the table that was already partially sliced, and I picked up the bread knife. I waited for another moment before Alya called action.

I sliced through the bread as Marinette started to slice strawberries again. There was a cantaloupe between our cutting boards that was sliced in half as well as a bowl of strawberries. I kept my eyes on the bread as I knew she glanced up at me briefly since we'd done the scene so many times now.

"You didn't come home until really late last night." She commented then looked at me again, pausing from cutting the strawberries. I turned my head and looked at her, also pausing from slicing the bread. She looked very concerned as she grabbed another strawberry and spoke her concern with, "Is everything okay at work?"

I looked down again, as did she, and we continued to slice the food. "Yeah I do that sometimes just to kinda go with the flow." I said then glanced at her. "Blow where the wind takes me."

Marinette glanced at me too by the time I had looked down at the bread again and continued to slice it, then looked down again at the strawberries. "So I guess things are permanent now." She said with a slight smile. "You have a family."

I instantly stopped my actions with the knife halfway through the bread and looked at her. "What?" I asked, alarm and confusion in my tone. "I have a what—what do you mean?"

Marinette looked up at me and gave me an amused smile. "You and Ambrose." She clarified. "You're not looking for a home for him anymore? He's your family."

"Oh yeah." I said, breathing a slight sigh of relief as she laughed lightly. "I guess so."

As I looked back at the bread and finished cutting that partial slice, then sliced another, Marinette had turned her attention to me. I still felt a bit worried about how things between she and I would work out, and I was glad that everyone else could mistake me for really being in character.

Marinette stopped slicing the strawberries and watched me for a moment. It was like she could tell that something was bothering me. "Are you okay?" I looked up at her. "Is something wrong?"

I slowly looked away again, wearing a confused expression, then looked at her again. "No." I answered. "No, I'm fine. I'm good."

As I looked down again, Marinette put down her knife on her cutting board and stepped away from me, facing away from me and looking out the window above her sink. "There's this uh… thing I have to do tonight."

My smile instantly fell, and I let my discomfort show on my face. "Yeah, what's that?" I asked but still made my tone sound light.

"It's nothing really." She answered, glancing over her shoulder at me as she washed her hands. "It's just this party that my sister and her husband invited me to. I can bring someone if I want."

In the middle of her line I stopped slicing the bread again and listened to her. I could hear the slight hope in her voice along with the nervousness. I was quiet for a moment before I responded. "You want me to meet your family?"

Marinette turned around, wiping her hands on a dishtowel, her eyes wide in alarm before she smiled naturally, her eyes not as wide anymore. "Yeah, I just thought it would be something fun to do. You'd really like my sister and brother-in-law. They're great."

I turned my head and looked at her for a moment before I answered with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry but I can't."

"Oh, yeah." Marinette instantly responded as I looked back down at the bread. "Of course. I mean it's—it's totally last minute and everything."

I looked at her again and could see that she looked a little uncomfortable. "No, it's just that I have this work thing that I have to do." I said. "I would like to, but I just can't."

As I looked down again, Marinette seemed to grow more uncomfortable. "I thought you were off tonight."

"I was, but it got changed." I responded, looking at her again, then looked down again. "So…" Marinette just pursed her lips and nodded to herself while I looked down at the wristwatch I was wearing.

"Man, it's later than I thought." I said, putting down the bread knife. "I actually have to get to work. Uh, I'll see you when I get back." I continued, looking at her again. "If you're here. Otherwise, I'll see you when I see you."

"Okay." She answered quietly, and I gave her a smile as I repeated her line back to her. I turned and started to walk away while she was fidgeting with that dishtowel.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" She called after me, her voice giving away how worried she was.

I turned around in the doorway and looked at her, still smiling. "Yeah, everything's fine." I hesitated for a moment before raising a hand slightly to give her a slight wave. "Bye."

After I turned and walked down the hall, I stopped to wait out the rest of the scene. It lasted for a few more seconds during which I knew Marinette was staring in the doorway anxiously where I left. When I heard Alya say, "Finally!" I walked back into the kitchen.

"This had to have been the most takes you two have ever had to make for one scene." She said with a laugh as she reached into her bag and handed us each more papers. "Here you go; the last five scenes left in the movie."

I looked down at the papers then back up at Alya. I felt relieved that it would be over, but also rather disappointed. I really liked spending this time acting with Marinette. "That means there's eight more to film."

Alya nodded in response before looking at Marinette. "Nino and I can't stay much longer. I have to babysit, and Nino's agreed to help me out. We'll be gone as soon as we pack up the camera."

Marinette nodded in response as I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. After pulling it out, I saw that I had a message from Natalie telling me that the moment we were finished with the scene I had to go. "I need to head out too." I said, already turning to head to the door. "I'll see you all later."

I walked out the door of their apartment to head down to where I knew my chauffeur would be waiting and took a few steps before I heard Marinette call out to me. When I turned I saw that she was standing in the doorway. "Can we talk?" She asked. I hesitated before I gave her a small nod then turned and took a step towards her as she shut the door behind her, leaving both of us standing together in the hallway.

We were both quiet for a moment and I felt the awkward tension rising. It made me uncomfortable, and it seemed like it made her uncomfortable too. I decided to speak up first to break the silence. "What's up?"

She hesitated for a moment as she looked down then lifted her eyes to meet mine. "Why did you do it?"

The question was vague and reluctant, but I knew what she was referring to. Still, I wanted to be sure. "Do what?"

Marinette looked away from me, biting her bottom lip awkwardly. "You know…" She said, lowering her voice slightly. "Kiss me."

"There was mistletoe." I instantly responded, my hands slipping into my pockets. I felt rather nervous and uncomfortable talking about this, though I knew it needed to be done. I just didn't want to reveal anything until I was sure what she thought about it.

"That kiss wasn't in the script." She pointed out to me and I was very aware of how nervous she, even a little uncomfortable. I had no idea her thoughts about it yet, so I needed to play it safe and avoid saying exactly how I felt about the kiss or her.

"I know." I replied, my right hand raising to rub the back of my neck awkwardly. "I know it wasn't. I just thought that ending the scene that way would make better for the movie. And before when Alya was giving me the revised scene she told me to do whatever I thought Zachary would do."

"And you thought that in that moment he'd kiss Marilee?" She prompted.

I shrugged at first before nodding. "I mean, he has recently realized he had developed feelings for her, and he seems to at least have a decent idea that she likes him too."

"Look, that kiss didn't necessarily mean anything." I added quickly when she went quiet and I took it for her feeling more uncomfortable. "I kissed you because it was a scene with mistletoe, and it felt right to end the scene like that."

"The kiss didn't mean anything?" She asked me after being quiet for a few seconds and looked at me with eyes that told me that she wanted a certain answer, but I didn't know which answer it was she wanted.

_I don't want to say 'no' because that would be lying! But I also really don't want to say 'yes' in case it makes things awkward!_

I went with what seemed like the better option in my mind. I simply shrugged and shook my head slightly.

"Not really." I said, though I knew it was probably one of the biggest lies I would ever tell her. That kiss meant a lot more to me than being just for the sake of the film, but assuming that she didn't want it to mean anything, I lied in hopes this lie wouldn't make her uncomfortable.

But really the lie only upset her.

I could see the hurt in her eyes even when she looked down quickly. "I see…" She said quietly. Instantly I knew I had given her the answer that she didn't want to hear. But before I could tell her that it was a lie, and that I really didn't mean it and I was sorry for lying, she had turned away from me and walked back inside her home, leaving me standing alone in the hallway outside her apartment.

Marinette wanted me to say that the kiss had meant something, and I didn't only do it for the sake of the movie. That meant that the kiss would have meant something to her. And that would suggest that she liked me.

I didn't even have the ability to feel happy at the realization that Marinette liked me too. I had lied to her in hopes of giving her an answer she wanted and to avoid possible awkwardness between us if the kiss didn't mean something to her. But instead of preserving our friendship, it seemed as if I pushed her away.

I made a huge mistake, possibly the largest in my life. What worried me the most was wondering how on earth I'd be able to fix what I'd messed up.

_Marinette, I'm so sorry… I'll find a way to make it up to you. I promise._


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: Three chapter updates in one day? Granted, the first of the three was very early in the morning, and I really wasn't planning on writing the third until at least tomorrow, but inspiration comes when it wants to come! Better take advantage of it rather than let it fade!**

**Again, I'm really sorry about what happened in the last chapter, and I understand perfectly if anyone wants to strangle me. However, I promise you all it will get better!**

* * *

Chapter 44

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"I can't believe I really let myself believe that Adrien could see me as more than a friend." I stated crossly. "I knew that letting myself hope would only bring me pain, and I was right."

"I know." Kagami said with an annoyed tone. "It's his fault for leading you on."

The moment I walked back into my house, Alya could tell that something was really bothering me. She pulled me off to the side so Nino could finish with the camera. I had quickly told her what Adrien said to me, and I was immediately wrapped in her arms. She apologized to me about for what happened and for not being able to stay with me.

So I decided to give Kagami a call instead. Something told me that she'd be someone I could talk to about my frustrations and heartache, and I was proved right. Barely a second passed after I sent her a text about what Adrien said before she responded, "On my way." Before I knew it we were both sitting in my room, me on my chaise and her on my desk chair, eating ice cream in winter.

"I just don't understand why he'd have to go against the script like that." I frowned then paused as I ate a spoonful of my chocolate ice cream. "I told Alya to get rid of the kiss because I didn't want he and I to kiss just for the stupid movie."

"And he had to kiss you anyway." Kagami sighed heavily as she put down her small carton of vanilla. "Just because he thought the movie would be better with a mistletoe kiss."

"You thought a mistletoe kiss would be a good idea too." I pointed out though I didn't look at her as I got another spoonful of ice cream, though I just stared at it instead of eating it.

With the slight moment of silence I could feel Kagami giving me a look. "Okay, yes, but not at your expense." She argued. "He shouldn't have kissed you like that unless he meant it."

"Oh he meant it alright." I said crossly again. "He meant it for the movie and only the movie."

"What an idiot." I heard Kagami mutter crossly. "I never thought he was so dense that he would pull something like that."

My attention immediately snapped up towards her after hearing her first three words. "Don't say that!" I said defensively. "Adrien is _not_ an idiot. He might not be the brightest at times, but he's smart."

Kagami looked at me and shook her head slowly while giving me a small, sympathetic smile. "You must really care about him even though he's hurt you."

I hesitated as I looked down and poked at the ice cream in my carton. "I love him…" I said in a quiet voice. "And I still love him even after what he said to me. Besides, I don't think he's realized he's hurt me. I've never told him how I feel about him."

"Maybe you should." Kagami told me determinedly. "Maybe you should let him know how badly he's hurt you."

"But that would hurt him." I protested. "I don't want him to hurt too just because I am."

"Let him hurt." Kagami argued. "It's about time that he realizes that you see him as more than a friend and the way he's treating you isn't right."

"Kagami, I don't want to hurt him." I said pleadingly as I looked back down at my ice cream. "And I can't tell him how I feel because I know it will hurt him."

Kagami looked at me for a long moment without saying a word. When seconds passed without her saying anything in reply, I looked up at her and saw her giving me a small smile. "You are way too kind to him, you know that? He doesn't deserve you."

I didn't say anything as I looked back down at my ice cream and slowly ate another spoonful. I know that he hurt me, but that didn't mean I wanted to see him in pain too. I loved him too much for that.

* * *

I stepped out of the silver car and turned, looking at the building as "Joy to the World" was being sung near the door by carolers in Christmas dresses and nice black suits. I wore a smile on my face, actually feeling rather happy since that conversation with Adrien.

It was the night of the day following that incident and I looked towards the door seeing other students from my school dressed in formal attire walking to the front door of the Le Grand Paris hotel where a Christmas party was being held in the main lobby. I myself was wearing that really nice black dress that was given to me by Gabriel Agreste with black heels, earrings of my mother, and my hair was pulled up to a nice side bun with a black clip holding it in place.

Holding a small red clutch in my hands, I walked past the carolers who were just members of the school choir then into the hotel lobby. It was fully decorated with beautiful Christmas decorations. Already this had to be my favorite scene of this movie.

I walked around a few people and turned to see Kagami and Luka standing not very far away from me talking to each other. As I grew closer, Kagami smiled brightly at me. "Hi!"

"Hi." I responded with a smile of my own as I stepped in closer to give her a hug. In the background Nathaniel sat at a piano with his back to the camera playing "The Twelve Days of Christmas", though he was only pretending to play. It was actually a prerecording of Adrien playing the song on his piano, but I really didn't want to think about him at the moment until I had to.

"You made it!" She said happily then pulled away from the hug.

"Hi, how are you?" I said as I gave Luka a hug as well.

"You look great." He complimented as he returned the hug.

I felt myself smile a little bit more genuinely despite what I knew was to come, feeling flattered by the compliment even though I knew it was the line Alya gave him to say. "Oh, you—thanks."

Both of them looked at me with wide grins. "So," Kagami continued, looking at me curiously. "Where is he?"

"Yeah." Luka added as my smile fell. "Where's Green Eyes?"

"I'm sorry." I said, shaking my head slowly. "He couldn't make it. He had a—um—a work thing."

"Oh." Kagami replied her smile wavering slightly as she and Luka exchanged a look. "That's too bad."

"I'm sorry." I repeated and Kagami shook her head in disappointment. Her eyes lifted a moment longer and looked at someone over my shoulder.

"Oh," She said, causing Luka to look at her before he glanced over me and saw the same people. "They're our clients. Will you excuse us for just one second?"

"Oh." I said, turning to glance behind me then looked at Kagami again, giving her a small smile. "Yeah. Yeah, sure."

I waited as she and Luka walked around me then turned around and stared after them for a moment. "I'll just um…" I trailed off from my muttering to myself and watched as they started to talk with a couple other students that I didn't know but recognized as students a year or two older than me.

After a moment I smiled again before turning in the previous direction I had been facing and continued to walk through the crowd of students. I tried to mentally and emotionally prepare myself to see him, but I knew I wouldn't be ready enough.

After walking past a man dressed as Santa Claus, one of the teachers I think, and a couple other students, I turned my attention to a golden Christmas tree. I smiled to myself and couldn't resist touching a bough. Christmas trees really were one of my favorite things about Christmas.

Though my mood instantly changed when I look forward again. Despite telling myself to be ready for this part of the scene, I was far from prepared. I was still smiling as I took a few steps forward and looked around at everyone, then looked ahead. My smile slowly vanished when I saw him.

Adrien was standing across the opening in the crowd from me with Aurore Beauréal, a girl in our grade. Her long hair that was usually tied back into long pigtails was down and straightened, and she wore a very pretty red dress.

I watched as Adrien, smiling widely, leaned down closer to her while she kissed each of his cheeks, slowly leaning in and pulling away for each. Then they both turned away from me, facing two others they were with, and I watched as Adrien put his arm around Aurore's shoulders.

It was easy for me to look hurt and confused as I looked towards him, playing Marilee as she caught Zachary at the very party he had turned down the invitation to for work. I still wasn't quite ready to face him again after what he said to me.

I started to walk backwards to get away from him, though I walked straight into one of the others from my school. I turned around quickly and gave him an apologetic look with a quick "I'm sorry!" then continued to stumble through the gap in the crowd. I bumped into another when I glanced over my shoulder towards Adrien, and caused many eyes to fall on me.

I didn't care that the people were watching me leave, obviously knowing that I was distressed. But no one said anything to me as I walked by everyone and out the door, standing just outside the hotel's door. My breaths were coming in quick as I mentally panicked, feeling overwhelmed, and I fought the tears that threatened to ruin my makeup. I looked around a few times then motioned to a nonexistent cab driver before I started to wipe at my face just under my eyes.

When I heard Nino call the end of scene and told me I did a good job with the one take, my eyes instantly traveled to Alya. She could see how distressed I was and instantly rushed to my side, putting an arm around my waist.

"I'm so sorry…" She said to me gently as she hugged me from the side. "I know it hurt to see him…"

Nino, obviously pretending not to see us, quickly packed up the camera the fastest I've ever seen him do it and leave the two of us alone outside.

"I'm just not ready to talk to him yet." I choked out, still trying to hold back my tears that I was fighting harder to hold back.

"We know." Another gentle voice sounded at my other side and I turned my head to see Kagami had left the party to come and see me. "Come on, let's get you out of here. You did a good job for the scene."

"And you only have to do two more scenes with him." Alya added. "There's that one tomorrow and the very last one. You think you'll be able to get through them?"

I nodded as I looked at Alya, then at Kagami. Both were looking at me with concern as they led me away from the hotel and to Kagami's car. At the moment I really couldn't ask for two better friends to help me though this. I just hoped all this pain I felt would end soon.


	45. Chapter 45

**A/N: ****I often hear that sometimes things have to become worse before they can become better.**

* * *

Chapter 45

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

The last time Marinette was this upset with me was when we first met. She thought I had put chewing gum on her seat on the first day of school a year ago, but really I was just trying to take the gum off of her seat. Chloe had put it there to spite her. I thought that was bad, but it was nothing compared to what I was experiencing from her now.

_But I fully deserved it._

I wanted to try to talk to her and apologize for being stupid, but she never gave me the chance. I'm sure that she ignored me when I tried to send her a text earlier in the morning, and even now while we were at her house preparing for our second to last scene together in this movie she finds anything to do to avoid talking to me.

I can tell that she knows she's doing it too. She's making her annoyance with me painfully obvious.

_But I fully deserve it._

When Alya told us to get into our places I could see the director looking at me with a mix of emotions. I could tell that she was angry with me and I'd bet that Marinette told her what I said to her a couple evenings ago. But I also saw sympathy in her eyes as if she knew how terrible I felt and how desperate I was to talk to Marinette about what happened.

Alya said nothing to me and instead turned her attention to Nino, asking if he had the camera completely ready for our scene. As I watched the co-directors, I happened to notice a movement from the corner of my eye. I turned to see Marinette facing me, and despite the hurt that was still obvious in her eyes, I felt a sliver of hope that she'd allow me to apologize.

"When we're done with this scene, you can see yourself out."

My heart sunk at her words as I watched her turn away from me again. The hurt in her voice was painfully obvious. It was like she wanted me to know how upset she was with me and wanted me to feel guilty.

_But I do! I've felt so terrible since the moment the lie left me!_

I just wish she would give me a chance to try to make up for what I did. Though I also knew that I deserved to be treated like this. I never should have lied to her about that kiss.

I kept my eyes on her for a moment longer after she turned away from me then turned myself away from her and walked out of the kitchen to get to where I'd be for the start of this scene. When I leaned back against the wall just next to the doorway that would take me back into the kitchen for the scene, I heard a scoff.

"Why do you look so miserable?" I heard a voice I recognized well enough.

"If you've come to scold me, save it." I said without looking at the girl while I kept the back of my head against the wall, keeping my voice low enough so the others in the kitchen wouldn't hear me. "I already feel terrible."

"I see that, but I don't understand why. _You're_ the one who hurt her."

"Kagami, I know that." I said with a sigh. "I don't need to be reminded, thanks."

When she fell quiet I turned my head against the wall to look at her. She was holding Queenie who would appear with Marinette, shifting her slightly in her arms as if she were a little uncomfortable, yet her eyes still gave away that she wasn't happy with me either.

After giving me a long, disapproving look Kagami walked past me into the kitchen. A few moments later she walked back out to where I stood in the hallway.

"I didn't mean to hurt her." I admitted after she walked past me, though she had only taken a few more steps away from me. "I was just trying to keep things from becoming awkward between us if she knew."

"She was sure that you liked her." Kagami snapped quietly as she stopped walking and turned back towards me, obviously assuming correctly that I figured out Marinette had a crush on me too. "She was nervous to talk to you about it though in case she happened to be wrong. Alya and I encouraged her to because we could tell that you've started to like her too. But you ruined it with your stupidity."

I looked away from her while she was in the middle of speaking. I didn't need to hear all that because I already knew it was true. I ruined everything. "I just don't know how to get her to give me a chance to explain." I muttered when she finished her rant.

Kagami let out a long sigh before she heard Alya call my name for us to start the scene. "Just finish the scene, Adrien. You can figure out how to fix your mess later."

I stood there for a moment listening as she walked away to go to her area to wait for the cue to release Ambrose, who was waiting in his cat carrier, into the end of the scene. After a couple seconds passed I let out a quiet sigh, bracing myself to encounter Marinette again. However, when I walked through the doorway I was not expecting to see a small, very discreet smile on her face as she was leaning over the kitchen island, writing a note.

She was wearing a big dark brown winter coat over a pale light blue shirt that almost looked white and dark blue jeans. Queenie was laying near her among two bags that were supposedly full of the last of her things on the island. "Hey." I said, looking at all of her things, slipping my hands into the pockets of my jeans.

"Hey." Marinette said, looking at me as if she'd been caught by surprise. Our eyes locked for a moment and I could see a hint of hurt in her eyes despite that barely noticeable smile. "I was just writing you a note. I thought I'd be gone before you got home." She looked down at the pen in her hand and took the cap off the end to recap it.

"Gone?" I questioned, still looking at her while she put down the pen and looked at me, all traces of any smile of hers gone.

"How was work?" She asked, changing the subject.

"It was fine." I answered, not feeling very comfortable as she looked at me accusingly. "Where are you going?"

"I finally got a job." She said, turning to the island to pick up a large bag with a long strap and pulled it over her shoulder. "And found a place that takes cats." She continued as she pulled her purse over her shoulder on top of the large bag.

I let my mouth fall open slightly in surprise. She sounded happy that Marilee was leaving, and not just because she was playing the role of Marilee. Part of me thought that she was happy that this was the last we would be filming at her home and that I wouldn't need to come by anymore. And it hurt.

"Thank you so much for letting Queenie and me stay here." She said as she picked up Queenie and cradled her in her arms, looking at me with what I could tell was forced gratitude. "It was really kid of you."

"You—You don't have to go." I said quickly. "You can stay."

"I really appreciate everything." She said after taking a step closer to me, the gratitude vanishing as she looked at me coldly, obviously wanting me to know she was upset. She paused, gently petting Queenie. "I hope you have a wonderful Christmas."

She looked at me for a second longer before turning and walking away. I stared helplessly as I watched her go, staying put as I watched her walk to a different doorway that was closer to the front door. "What—What about Ambrose?" I called after her. "He's—He's going to miss you guys."

I watched her stop in the doorway and slowly turn towards me. "He is?" She asked, and I could sense the slightest hint of hope in her voice. It caused my heart to skip slightly as I filled a little hopeful myself that she wasn't completely angry with me.

"Yeah." I said, not taking my eyes off of her as a slight smile made its way to my face. "Yeah, he has a real connection with Queenie." Although these were the words I had to say for the scene rather than the ones I wanted to say to Marinette, I hoped that maybe she'd see how much I wanted to talk to her.

She looked at me for a moment and I saw that same hurt, disappointed look from earlier. "Well, maybe I can bring her by sometime." I was about to give up hope again, but then I saw her smile slightly.

"Really?" I asked, the hope traveling to my voice as I smiled a little more. "That would be great! You should definitely do that."

I watched her smile a little more and give me a slight nod. "I'll call you. Set something up in the new year." Although she was still smiling slightly, a new thought crossed my mind that made my heart drop.

_What if Marinette really didn't want to try to talk again until the new year?_

My smile faded and I watched her look at me for a moment longer before she turned to leave. "In the new year…" I muttered to myself in disappointment. After I let out a breath I started after her, following her to the front door. But I was too late.

Just as I reached the doorway that she walked through I heard the door opening then close. I looked towards the door and saw that she had indeed left the apartment. I walked towards the door and peeked out the peephole as if I were looking for her to see if she really left, but I saw something else that really twisted my stomach.

I couldn't look out there for long because soon I glanced down and noticed Ambrose walking towards me. "Hey, Buddy.." I said to him quietly as I bent over to pick him up. "Hey…"

I slowly stepped towards the stairs and took a seat on the second step from the bottom. I looked down at nothing in particular as I recalled what I saw when I looked outside. Marinette had gone to the opposite wall of the hallway outside, leaning back against it as she silently cried.

It broke my heart to see her so upset and all I wanted to do was go out and at least try comforting her, but I knew that if even tried I doubt I'd think of the right words to say and she'd probably get even more upset with me for ruining the end of the scene and having to start another take.

I sat there, quiet for a moment as I pet Ambrose before I remembered I still had a few lines left. Drawing my eyes to Ambrose, I frowned at him. "Why are you so sad?" I asked him then looked up towards the door again, my heart aching. "This is what we wanted right?"

I looked at the door for a moment longer before looking down at the ginger cat again. "Yeah, maybe not…" I spoke just a little louder than a whisper.

Even though in Zachary's case he changed his mind about wanting to stay single, I'd never really had much of a desire not to want to be with Marinette once I started developing feelings for her. Instead, I told myself that it would be better to wait until this movie was over to admit to her that I loved her. I thought it would be better for the production of the video, but now I knew I was wrong.

She was out there crying, and I had no idea what I could do to make her feel better. I was sure the moment I tried to go outside to be with her that she would walk back inside and not give me a chance to say anything. I wanted to see her smile again and hear her laugh. I wanted to see that sparkle in her eyes when she was happy, not that dull look she had now that made it obvious she was upset.

I knew I had to do something to make it up to her, but what? She didn't even want to talk to me. How was I supposed to tell her I lied to her and not make her hate me more? I didn't want to do it, but I was stupid enough and did anyway. I missed her.

The last though sent another pang of longing to my heart as I stared towards the door that separated us. I really missed her. I wanted her and I to talk again. But most of all, I just wanted to see her happy again.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N: I hope everyone had a happy Easter yesterday! This is the only update for today since I just finished my essay for my English class and writing for a class always seems to wear me out. However, if inspiration strikes, it strikes and I might just whip out another chapter tonight. Otherwise, expect to see more tomorrow or the following day.**

**I guess I'll start the countdown now...**

**Five minutes and twenty seconds in the movie, four scenes, and four more chapters left until it's all over.**

* * *

Chapter 46

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I've decided that I no longer care if I wait until the end of the movie or not to talk to Marinette and confess my feelings to her. I needed her to know that I lied to her and was really sorry for it. I loved her and I absolutely hated seeing her look so miserable.

And yet, I couldn't allow myself to force her to hear me out. If she didn't want to listen to anything I said, I wouldn't push her too. I deserved her silent treatment after all. I was a jerk and I knew it wouldn't be fair of her to just instantly give me a chance and forgive me.

But that didn't stop me from trying to talk to her either.

That one day at school, Monday of the last week of filming the scenes of the movie, seemed like it could have made up for the entire week. Any time I saw Marinette I desperately wanted to call out to her. Most of the time I did, but it always resulted in one of two things: Either she completely ignored me and pretended not to hear me, or she turned my way with either a very sad or very angry expression. Either way, she refused to talk to me. And even though I knew I deserved it, it hurt.

The long eight hours were finally over, during which Marinette showed absolutely no sign of offering me any forgiveness. Not that I expected her forgiveness anytime soon. But what I think hurt the most was noticing that she had slight dark circles under her slightly reddened eyes, and my guess was that she was sleep deprived and had done more crying.

_And it's all my fault…_

"What's got you down?" Ivan asked me with a concerned tone. It was very obvious that Marinette and I weren't getting along at the moment to everyone in our class and to anyone who may have seen me try to get her attention in the hallways.

"I don't really feel like talking about it." I answered dejectedly. My thoughts about Marinette were depressing enough. I didn't want to say them aloud and thankfully Ivan didn't press.

We were currently in a storage closet of the fire station for the second to last scene that we would be filming there, our hands full of firemen supplies that we were using as props as we waited for Alya's cue for us to walk down the hallway and go into the room where our scene would be. It was that same breakroom that we used a while ago where Ivan was in the small kitchen area and Kim and Max were playing cards while their characters teased Zachary for the first time about Marilee.

"Alright." Ivan shrugged, but I could still tell that he was worried for my relationship with Marinette, whatever it was right now. I could almost bet that she wouldn't even want to be my friend anymore after she heard that I had lied to her.

It was only a minute or so later that Ivan and I were given our signal through the open doorway and started to walk down the hall. Just before I took my first step, letting Ivan through first, I let out a small sigh to collect my thoughts and remind myself to focus on this scene.

"She just moved out." I said as I walked behind Ivan. "Found a new place to live. It's probably for the best; I don't want to lead her on."

"Oh, you wouldn't want to do that." Ivan answered with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

I was quiet for a second. "Well, it's not like I was in love with her. I-I liked her; I mean who wouldn't. She's wonderful."

"Zachary," Ivan said, turning to me and slowing down to allow me to walk past him to turn into the breakroom first. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Nothing." I answered instantly, but didn't move, so Ivan went in first.

"Harriet and I have been married for twenty-six years." He told me. "And… I don't regret one day of it. She and the kids give my life meaning."

I let out a slight breath of amusement. "I know." I said with a smile as we approached the table. "And that's a great life for you." I paused as we started to put the supplies on the table. "It's just not for me."

"Because you're different?" He questioned in an unconvinced tone.

"Exactly." I shrugged.

Ivan gave me a disapproving look. "What about Ambrose?" He asked, glancing at the ginger cat on a red chair at the table. "Do you care about him, or have you just gotten used to him being around?"

"Well, that's different." I said with a slightly amused tone. "He's a great cat. And he needs me."

"But you don't need anyone." Ivan asked, shaking his head at me.

I felt a pang in my heart at the statement. Although I was in the zone of playing Zachary, I knew for a fact that it wasn't true about me personally. I knew I needed Marinette, or at the very least to apologize to her if she no longer wanted me.

After thinking for just that moment, my mood changed to one of disappointment and longing, which was actually very good timing because that was how Zachary was supposed to be feeling at the same moment. "No." I said after I let out a long sigh and sat on a chair near the one Ambrose was on.

"Do you remember when you were a kid," Ivan started, walking around me to stand in front of me. "And I crashed through your bedroom window that night and saved you from that fire?"

I paused for a moment before I gave him a nod. "Yes."

"You decided that day to become a firefighter, right?" He paused and I gave him another slight nod, looking at him with confusion as if I had no idea where he was going with this story. "That was years ago, and you still know that it was the right decision."

"That was a defining moment." He continued after a slight pause, then paused again. "This, right here right now, this is another defining moment. If you care about that girl, you need to go find her and tell her how you feel."

"That's great." I said. "But I just—I don't know where to find her, Sam."

Both of us went quiet after Ivan let out a sigh. "Ambrose," I said as I leaned over to the other chair and scooped him up then held him up, speaking directly to him. "Where is Marilee?"

_And how do I get Marinette to give me another chance?_

Ivan narrowed his eyebrows at me slightly in amusement. "He's not Lassie. He's not going to lead you to her." I lowered the cat so he could settle onto my lap.

"It's Christmas Eve, though." Ivan continued. "A time for miracles. Maybe—maybe she'll walk right through that door right now," he pointed toward the door we walked through earlier for emphasis. "And tell you she loves you."

We both looked towards the door as if it was her cue to walk in. Part of me really hoped that Marinette would walk right through the doors and interrupt the scene and give me a chance to explain myself. But I knew it wouldn't happen.

"It was worth a shot." Ivan said, turning back towards me. He smiled at me knowingly, and I knew that now the obvious thing for Zachary to do would be to go and figure out where Marilee was.

"After a moment I gave him a very small smile back. "Thanks for coming down and hanging out with me."

"Hey, no problem." Ivan said, and he seemed to know that the thanks in Zachary's behalf was more than just for keeping him company. "Merry Christmas, Zachary."

"Merry Christmas, Sam." I responded as he turned and walked back out into the hallway. Once more I was left alone with my thoughts about Marinette and wondered just what I'd have to do to get her to talk, or at least listen, to me.

* * *

The following day at school was the same as the last. The only exception was that Marinette wasn't even giving me a chance to call her name. There were several instances that I saw her and opened my mouth to call her name, but she noticed each time and walked away from me instead of just ignoring and facing the other way or giving me looks.

This hurt so much worse because it made it so much more obvious that she didn't want anything to do with me anymore.

"You and Marinette aren't doing so hot, are you?" Kim asked me late in the afternoon after calling me from my seat up to his. We were in the last class of the day, but I had gotten there earlier than usual. Kim was already there with Max since Kim needed help with last minute homework, though it seemed that it was more of Max just doing it for him.

"Not really." I admitted the obvious. "Not at all."

"What happened?" Max questioned but didn't look up from the paper he was writing.

"Well…" I started as I rubbed the back of my neck nervously since I'd never admitted my feelings for her to anyone, yet now I guess it was painfully obvious. "Do you guys remember that kiss I improvised for scene fifty-four?"

Both nodded. "A little while after that happened, Marinette asked me if it meant anything." I paused as I noticed both immediately snap their full attention on me then continued. "I told her it didn't."

"Why would you do that?!" Kim demanded in shock. "Dude, no wonder she hates you now!"

"She… hates me?" I asked, my heart dropping in disappointment.

"Did you really mean your answer to her question?" Max asked, and I quickly shook my head in response. Immediately a grin stretched across Kim's face.

"So you didn't just kiss her for the movie?" He asked. When I looked down and felt my cheeks heat up with embarrassment, he let out a whoop of triumph. "Ha! I told you, Max!"

"I didn't doubt you." Max said quickly before Kim continued.

"So you like her." He said with a slightly teasing tone. "No wonder you're trying so hard to get her attention. How do you plan to apologize? Just talk to her about your lie?"

"Well… Yeah?" I answered, though I was instantly unsure of myself.

"There's no way she'd give you the chance to just talk to her." Kim said as he shook his head at me disapprovingly.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, suddenly very more desperate for Kim's input. "She won't even look my way anymore."

"That's because you really hurt her, Adrien." Kim reminded me. "It's really obvious that she really likes you. I'm sure that you've figured that out at least since she's so upset by your answer. Just talking to her won't cut it. You'll have to go big."

"Go big?" I questioned. "Like what? What do you suggest?"

"Do something really special for her that she won't be able to turn down. Then you talk to her." He explained. "You have to do something first that makes up for your mistake before she'll give you a chance to explain your mistake."

I instantly went quiet as I thought about what I could do for Marinette that would be good enough to get her to at least look at me again. Though before I could ask Kim for more advise, more of our classmates started to come in since it was much closer to the start of class.

I gave Kim a quick thanks before I hurried back down to my seat. Nino instantly looked at me curiously. "Are you alright, Dude?" Of course he knew that I was struggling with knowing Marinette was upset.

"Not really," I answered, though I had the slightest bit of hope now. "But I think I will be."

"That's good." Nino responded.

Not even a minute passed before I saw Marinette and Alya come into class together. Alya greeted Nino with a smile, then looked at me with a frown mixed with disappointment and sympathy. Marinette on the other hand completely ignored me as if I wasn't even there.

I wasn't surprised, even though it still unsettled me. I had to fight my desire to turn around and look at her all during class, but instead of just feeling sorry for myself, I started to try to think of ways to 'go big' as Kim said to beg Marinette for her forgiveness.


	47. Chapter 47

**A/N: I honestly wasn't expecting to finish this chapter today since it's my little sister's birthday, but I did! And it's much longer than I expected!**

**Three minutes and thirty-four seconds in the movie, two scenes, and three more chapters left until it's all over.**

* * *

Chapter 47

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"He lied!" I said angrily, though my tone showed that I felt more devastated than anything else. My voice shook as I said the words, and I fought tears that wanted to shed.

"Yes he did!" Rose agreed firmly. We were currently sitting on a sofa in her family's living room that we had been allowed to use for the last couple scenes of me before I would see Adrien again in the last one.

"But he didn't really lie." I said with a sniff, hugging the pillow I had closer to me. "I'm not even dating him. I just don't understand why he would feel like he had to kiss me!"

"Marinette—" Rose started with a sigh, but I cut her off.

"I mean, Alya, you took the kiss out!" I said to Alya who was behind the camera. "Why did he have to do it?!"

"I don't know, Marinette." Alya said with a small, sympathetic sigh. "I really don't know. But, Marinette, we really should get through this scene."

I shoved my face into the pillow and groaned despairingly. "I'm sorry…" My voice was muffled by the pillow. "I did it again, didn't I?"

"You did." Rose said gently. "Do you want to talk about what happened with Adrien before we try again?"

"No." I said, lifting my head and shaking my head. "No, I'll be fine. It's just… Do you think I could just look over those lines one more time to get back into the scene?"

"Of course." Alya answered and offered me a packet that had the scene written out. "Take your time."

Even though I read through my lines, that I already had completely memorized, a few more times, it was very hard for me to concentrate. I felt absolutely horrible, and I honestly had no idea how to fix it.

I missed Adrien so much, and yet I didn't know how I could get him back without things being tense between us. I knew that the way I was acting about the situation wasn't right, but I didn't know how to stop.

I knew I was avoiding confronting Adrien about my coldness towards him. I couldn't bring myself to admit to him that I had been terrible to him. I hated seeing how hurt I was making him, and I really didn't want to apologize. It wasn't because I didn't feel guilty because I really did. I just didn't want to admit to him that I knew I was hurting him.

I was also extremely embarrassed because of the way I reacted. I knew that he had to know now that I loved him because of how I reacted to his answer concerning that kiss. I was so hurt and disappointed because I let myself assume that the kiss meant that he liked me, and embarrassed because I hadn't even thought about it really not meaning anything.

Now that he knew how I felt about him, I don't think I could handle him telling me that he doesn't feel the same. That's why I was pushing him away. The reason why I was being so cold towards him though, I wasn't entirely sure.

I wasn't so mad at him for what happened, really I wasn't. I was hurting and feeling disappointed by myself, which in turn only made me angrier at myself than anything else. Instead of being logical and just telling myself to cool off, I was taking my anger out on Adrien.

I hated myself for it, I really did. I hated knowing I was hurting him and that it was hurting me to see that I was hurting him, but I couldn't bare to let him see how terrible a person I was because I acted this way. There was no way he'd still want to even be my friend after how I've been treating him.

Maybe it would really end up being better this way in the end. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, maybe distancing myself from Adrien would help me to get over him. If that kiss didn't mean anything to him, he didn't like me as more than a friend. Maybe it was time to get over him. Alya's plan really didn't work after all.

And maybe if I hadn't completely ruined everything, and once my feelings were gone, he and I could forget this ever happened and be friends again and nothing more.

"Marinette, are you okay?" I heard Rose's voice cut through the end of my thoughts. I quickly looked at her, realizing I had zoned out while looking at the script.

"Sorry." I apologized quickly. "How long was I out of it?"

"Not long." Alya answered and when I turned my head to look at her, I saw her looking at me with deep concern. Even though I hadn't told her just how guilty I was and my plans to get over Adrien, she seemed to be able to read my thoughts and know just what I was planning.

"Good." I said before letting out a long sigh then slowly nodding to myself. "Okay, I think I'm ready. I'll get through it this time."

* * *

"He told me he didn't want a serious relationship." I said in that same devastated tone I've been using for each take of this scene. Despite my words earlier, it took a couple more takes before this one, but I felt like I'd finally get it this time.

"Yes, he did, mhm." Rose agreed gently with a nod.

"And I told him I didn't want to date until after I graduate." I continued on with the rant.

"Yes, you did." Rose agreed.

"And then he told me he was going to work," I continued, my tone growing angrier. "But he wasn't going to work. He was—he was on a date… with a…" My tone grew more distressed. "With a beautiful woman!"

I paused and sniffed before I continued. "He lied!" I said angrily, though my tone showed that I felt more devastated than anything else. My voice shook again as I said the words, and I fought tears that wanted to shed.

"Yes he did!" Rose agreed firmly.

"But he didn't really lie!" I said with a whiny tone. "I'm not even dating him! He doesn't owe me anything! I—"

I cut myself off, looking off to the side away from Rose. "But we've been over all that." Rose said gently and I let out an exasperated and distressed sigh that showed that I knew that, but it wasn't helping.

"What's with the kiss?" I asked, looking at Rose, and I had to force myself from going off on my own personal rant. I shook my head to myself then looked away again, tightening my hold on the pillow.

"See, that was my fault." Rose said guiltily. "The mistletoe-kiss-test… clearly flawed."

"Yeah." I agreed, glancing at her.

"Yeah…" Rose added, looking down in guilt.

We were both quiet for a moment before my phone starting ringing. Rose looked down at it first because I made no move to answer it. She let out a sigh and looked at me desperately as she held up my phone to show me the screen. "Will you please answer it this time?"

It was really only Alya calling my phone, but for the scene it was supposed to be Zachary trying to get a hold of Marilee. I looked towards the phone before groaning and looking away, shaking my head. "No."

"No. No." I repeated a couple more times as it rung a couple more times then stopped. "He's clearly interested in someone else. I'll call him in a few weeks, you know, when I'm… Over him." My voice caught on the last two words.

"You're… going to get over him?" Rose asked with a slightly surprised tone.

"Yeah." I said in almost a whisper after hesitating a moment. "Yeah."

"Okay." Rose answered in the same quiet tone.

I waited a moment longer for Alya to end the scene. We were finally finished with it, yet I didn't feel any different before we had even started the first take. It was almost as if I no longer cared about how the movie finished, though I really did. I was happy for Alya for creating a great movie, and happy for both her and Nino to have filmed it so well.

"We have one last scene to film really quick that will go right after the one that Nino's filming with Adrien right now." Alya was saying, but I was only half listening. "Marinette, all you need to do is go over to that chair over there by the window and—"

"I'm going to get over him." I said quietly, interrupting Alya. Both her and Rose looked at me in surprise, so I repeated my statement, this time a little louder and a little more confidently. "I'm going to get over him."

Both were quiet for a moment before Rose spoke up. "You're going to get over Adrien?"

"Yeah." I said, nodding as I felt a pain in my chest at admitting it out loud. "He said that kiss meant nothing to him. He doesn't like me as more than a friend, if he even likes me as a friend anymore."

"Marinette, you don't have to do that." Alya said in a quick, quiet tone. I looked at her and saw how desperate she was for me to admit I really didn't mean the words.

"I do have to, Alya." I said, shaking my head. "It's over. He doesn't feel the same, and I can't force him to. I've lost any chances I could have had in the future to change his mind about me too because of how I've been treating him. I'm going to get over him."

Suddenly my phone started to ring again, and Rose looked at it since she was still holding it. Her eyes lit up and she looked at me expectantly. "Answer it!"

I took my phone from her and looked at the name of who was calling me. My heart jolted when I saw that it was Adrien's name that appeared. I was so very tempted to answer it, but I reminded myself of my new goal. With a heavy heart, I let it ring, just staring at the phone. The girls didn't try to get me to answer it either, but I knew they were looking at me with hope.

After a little while longer, the screen showing his name disappeared to show my lock screen picture of him instead with a notification telling me I had a missed call from him. About ten seconds later, that notification was replaced by one that told me he left me a message.

I ignored it despite the looks I was receiving from the girls and put my phone away in my pocket. I had to get over him, no matter how long or what it took.

* * *

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

_Voicemail._

Of course she wouldn't answer. I was really hoping she would, but I had my doubts. So, after the beep I started talking, though I had no real idea of what to say. I hadn't really thought about what I'd say to her if she answered, and I didn't think of anything to say if she didn't. I considered for a brief moment to just hang up instead of leaving a message, but I started to speak and couldn't stop.

"Hey, Marinette. This is Adrien, but I'm sure your phone told you that." I winced at my awkward choice of words. "Look, we need to talk. I made a huge mistake and I'm really, really sorry." I paused for a moment before I continued. "I really miss you. Please call me back, okay? I love you."

My mouth immediately went dry when those three words slipped out. I hadn't meant to say them even if I meant them. Though despite knowing there was an option to playback the message and erase it, I panicked and just hung up, sending the message to her.

My heart was beating uncontrollably fast in my chest as my head spun. That wasn't how I hoped to tell her I loved her at all. But maybe it was better now that it was out. Now she might just give me a chance to hear me out. As much as I hated knowing I had to admit that I lied to her, I wanted to talk to her again so badly that I was willing to do anything. Even if it meant completely embarrass myself over a message to her voicemail.

* * *

The following day I was with Nino in our first class of the day. He had told me to come early so that I could see the three recently filmed scenes put together. He had gotten the two that Marinette filmed last night after we left the bakery.

It was very, very awkward to be there without Marinette there, but thankfully her parents were kind enough to let me film the short scene. They were very kind to me and even offered me a macron from the bakery when I was heading out.

Mr. Dupain had gone up with Nino, Kagami and I to film the short scene, but he didn't seem angry at me for hurting Marinette. I could tell that he was disappointed, probably because he knew I lied to her, but he seemed to understand how guilty I was and how badly I wanted to fix things.

He and Mrs. Cheng knew that I wanted to date Marinette, and I assumed they knew that Marinette had feelings for me too. They seemed sympathetic towards me because of our current situation, and it was actually good to know that her parents didn't completely hate me.

I let myself out of my memories from the night before as Nino took out his laptop that he was using to edit the scenes together. I took the other of his earbud to listen as the start of the one with Marinette and Rose started. She looked so miserable and I hated seeing her that way. And then her phone rang, but she let it go to voicemail, I was painfully reminded of the one I left her last night.

The screen changed at the end of that scene to show my in the Dupain-Cheng living room. I was half sitting, half leaning against the back of their sofa, Ambrose laying on the back near me. I was slowly stroking his fur absentmindedly.

The decorated Christmas tree was in the background, and with a slight prick at my heart, I remembered that it was Marinette and I who had decorated it. And those walls were that same shade of white that we had painted together.

_I really miss her…_

"Uh, hi, Marilee." I saw myself saw as I spoke into my phone. This scene was supposed to represent Zachary leaving a message for Marilee after she didn't answer a call, that same call that she ignored when she was with Sarah.

"It's Zachary calling… again." I continued with a slight smile though it disappeared quickly. "Uh, I just wanted to say merry Christmas, and I hope you're having a great Christmas Eve. Umm… I just wanted to call to say… Ambrose and I miss you and Queenie, and umm… Give us a call. Merry Christmas."

I watched as I lowered the phone and 'hung up' though I knew I hadn't even made a call when we filmed the scene. I was shown looking up for a moment before my scene ended and the second one of Marinette came on.

It took everything I had not to outwardly react to seeing her. I wasn't ready for it. She was curled up in a white and gray plaid blanket that had a black outline, sitting on a white wooden chair, staring out a window at the night sky. Queenie was with her, in her arms close to Marinette's heart.

She lowered her head slightly to press a gentle kiss to Queenie's head when the angle changed to show a close up of her face. Her head lifted again, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. She looked so sad and hopeless as if she had completely decided to give up.

That was just for the scene, wasn't it? That wasn't how she really felt, right?

Something told me that it really wasn't just her acting for the scene and that she really did feel that way. It seemed as if Marinette really did want to give up and move on. And that would mean she was giving up on me.

"I can't do it." I muttered as I took the earbud out of my ear and looked at Nino. He turned towards me and looked surprised by the desperation in my voice and eyes. "I need help."

"What?" Nino questioned, though I could tell that he knew I meant that I needed help with getting through to Marinette before it was too late.

"I can't do it alone." I repeated more clearly as I looked at him. I hadn't noticed that at that very moment Alya walked into the classroom, and I didn't notice her marching to the front of my desk. I did notice, however, her slam both hands on the desktop and grin at me. Instantly I realized she must have heard my last sentence to Nino.

"I'm here to help you, Agreste." She said determinedly, and instantly I felt a little more hopeful by her optimism. "You're going to fix things before it's too late, and you're going to need my help to do it. So here I am."


	48. Chapter 48

**A/N: ****AHHHHH! ALMOST DONE!**

**Two minutes and five seconds left, one scene, and two more chapters.**

* * *

Chapter 48

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of asking Alya for help earlier. Now that she had come to me, declaring that she would help me, it seemed that it was the most obvious thing in the world. In reality, I should have gone to her the moment I first messed up.

It wasn't just Alya's support that was giving me faith that the relationship I had with Marinette could be saved and even build into something more than a friendship, but Marinette herself was starting to give me hope. At school she didn't completely ignore me like she had been for the past couple days.

It was very obvious to me that she hadn't listened to that voicemail message that I left for her. If she had I was sure that she'd try to talk to me about it. This meant that she wasn't aware that I love her yet.

And now I don't entirely know how I feel about knowing that there's a few other voice messages I left after that first. Not at once, of course, since two others were each about an hour apart, and the others were this morning, also with time between them.

Of course she would know that I've left the messages. Either she has listened to them all but doesn't care what I've said, or she hasn't. Either way I'm sure that she thinks I'm completely obsessed with talking to her. Which is not a lie, actually.

I let out a sigh as I looked at myself in a mirror in the fire station changing area where the firemen would suit up, not just because of my thoughts, but also because of the suit Alya was making me put on. "Is this really necessary?"

Alya was trying to contain her giggles as she looked at me, but was failing. It made me scowl at her since she had been the one to write me this way in the first place. "Come on, Adrien!" She said. "It's Christmas!"

"I know that, but really." I said, pointing down to the red fat belly torso suit, that was more like a vest, I had recently put on. "You just did this to embarrass me."

"Maybe I did." Alya snickered before offering me the red Santa coat. "Here, put this on. It will help."

I grumbled complaints to myself as I put on the red coat over the fat-vest and zipped it up. It completely covered any traces of my artificial fat so that I now looked like Santa Clause without the hat and beard. Though I looked towards Alya again and saw her offering me the full-blown white Santa wig and red hat. I sighed again and took it from her, sending another scowl her way.

"Thank goodness Marinette isn't here to see me like this." I mumbled, though I knew Alya heard me.

"Speaking of the girl we both love so dearly…" She trailed off. I knew her choice of words was primarily meant to tease me because she seemed over the moon with happiness to learn that I had in fact fallen for her best friend. "We need to discuss what you need to do to fix things with her."

"I left voicemail messaged, but I doubt she's listened to any of them." I admitted, though I was not about to admit to her what exactly I said in them.

"I doubt she would." Alya agreed, seemingly lost in thought. "She's decided she wants to try and get over you."

I looked at her in alarm. "What?"

Alya just waved her hand dismissively. "She says that, but I know she doesn't really want to, nor do I think she will. I don't completely understand what she sees in you, but you somehow make her really happy."

"Not right at the moment apparently." I said to myself before rolling my eyes at Alya's words. "And gee, thanks, Alya."

"Hey, it's not me you want to be interested in you anyway." Alya pointed out. "Marinette is. And despite what she might say, and how she's been acting lately, she's still interested. I'm sure that she misses you."

"She has an odd way of showing it." I commented with a frown as I started to sort out the hairs of the white wig, preparing to put it on for the scene.

"Give her a break, Agreste." Alya told me firmly. "She's wanted you to notice her longer than you could imagine. You've been getting her hopes up throughout filming this movie, and you completely crushed them. Again."

I looked at Alya and realized, once again, that I made such a huge, terrible mistake by lying to her about the kiss. "What should I do?"

"Marinette's a practical girl for the most part." She said. "She doesn't mind if someone goes over the top for her, but she prefers things that aren't as extreme. All you need to really do is find an opportunity for her to allow you to talk to her, and just apologize. A heartfelt apology would be all it takes for her to realize how much you regret pushing her away."

"That's it?" I asked, a little confused and surprised by the simplicity of her words.

"It's much easier said than done, Adrien." Alya told me. "I don't know what it will take for you to get that chance to really apologize. All I can really say now is don't screw it up when the time comes."

* * *

I watched the recently recorded and easily edited clips that made up the scene I just recorded with Nino and Alya. The only thing missing was the background music and sound effects that Nino would add later. First it showed me, fully dressed as Santa Claus, walking down the hallway of the fire station to the garage. As soon as I opened the door, kids were saying "Santa!" excitedly.

I smiled slightly to myself as I remembered talking to each of the kids as if I really were Santa Claus, even if that wasn't part of the scene. I saw myself waving at the kids with a "Ho, ho, ho," and a couple "Merry Christmases". That clip of me dressed as Santa ended just after I sat on the "Santa chair" and put the first kid on my lap. Max, Kim, and Ivan were all smiling as well, each dressed in the firemen uniforms and wearing an elf hat.

Then, I was shown sitting at the end of a long table in the conference room, leaned back in my chair. I still wore the red Santa suit, but the hat and wig were on my lap. Ambrose was laying on the table in front of me on top of a newspaper.

"Well, we blew it, Ambrose." I said with a heavy side while the camera still showed the back of me. "We let them get away."

"Okay, I blew it." I corrected as I looked at Ambrose. "This is the worst Christmas ever…"

Ambrose looked up at me with his wide, green eyes. "Well, what do you want me to do?" I asked. "If I knew where she was, I would go get her."

Ambrose stood up and started pawing at the newspaper. It took a while to get him to do it, but we finally got the footage. I looked at him curiously before I took the paper carefully from under his paws and looked at the part he was pawing at. There was a picture of a kid with a dog, both wearing Santa hats, with the article titled "Pet Rescue Adoption Christmas Day in Place des Vosges."

"You're a genius, Ambrose." I said with a growing smile of excitement. I quickly put down the paper as I stood and immediately turned towards the door, zipping down the Santa suit as I quickly walked away, and revealed that stupid fat belly suit Alya made me wear. Though I had hardly anytime to feel mad or embarrassed at her for it again, because I knew this was it.

We were about to go and film the very last scene of this movie. I'd see Marinette again. We would talk, and I would tell her all the things I loved about her. Well, Zachary would be telling her all the things he loved about Marilee.

I was suddenly very anxious again and I looked at Alya. "Are you sure we have to go and do this scene now?"

"Adrien, the sooner we finish filming this last scene, the sooner we can put together this whole movie." Alya told me.

"But, Alya, Marinette and I…" I didn't want to say the words. Alya slowly nodded to show me that she understood my biggest concern.

"I know." She told me then offered a small encouraging smile that I could see was more forced than genuine. "You'll be fine."

"Alya, what if she won't give me a chance to talk to her before or after the scene?" I asked after a moment. I could feel my stomach sinking with more and more nervousness.

"Well, you know what Zachary is supposed to say to Marilee." Alya said. "When you say those lines, try to make it seem like you aren't just saying it for the lines. Try and get Marinette to really think they're for her."

"And if that doesn't work?" I questioned anxiously.

"Then there's one more thing I can think of that will help her let you in again." Alya said thoughtfully and a slow smile stretched across her face. "I'm positive it will work. But we'll call it our Plan B."

* * *

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"And this little guy is very good with kids." I said with a warm smile as I handed a small black puppy to a little girl who ran off to go show her mother.

For this scene, we had all the volunteers of the animal shelter come by with pets. This movie was sponsoring the sale of their animals since they had agreed to let us use two of their cats in the production. We also had a lot of people in the park come around the gazebo where we were set up to see what we were doing. The vast majority had agreed to be extras in return for the chance to buy a new family pet for Christmas.

Suddenly the sound of a fire engine's horn and siren blared through the noises of animals and people in the park. I stood slowly and turned, seeing a firetruck driving by and pulling to a stop near the park. My head tilted slightly with realization as if I was just realizing who it was.

I walked down the gazebo steps, hand dragging lightly on the rail, and watched as Adrien climbed out, though I knew he hadn't really driven the truck. He instantly smiled and ran towards me as I kept walking in his direction. Though instead of saying my line, I suddenly stopped walking as intense anxiety filled me.

I noticed his eyes narrow slightly in confusion before I turned to the side where Alya and Nino were filming the scene. At my look of panic, Alya called "cut!" then quickly rushed forward, grabbing me by the arm, and pulled me away from the boys.

"Alya, I can't do it!" I whisper-shouted to her with a panicked tone. "I can't!"

"Marinette, calm down." Alya said, trying to calm me down, but it wasn't working. "This is the last scene! We're almost done!"

"Alya." I repeated her name. "I can't kiss Adrien."

"That's because things are too tense between you two." She sighed. "Will you please just talk to him?"

I looked toward the firetruck where the boys had gone to redo the take. He glanced towards me and our eyes met briefly before I quickly looked towards Alya and shook my head. "No, I can't do that either."

"Why not?" Alya asked gently, though I could tell she really, really wanted me to. I didn't answer as I stared down at my feet.

"I'm sorry." Was all I said as an answer. "I know that there needs to be that ending kiss." I paused and slowly looked up at her. "Let's try it again."

"But the kiss?" Alya asked quietly.

I shook my head and smiled sadly. "It's for the movie."

Alya let out a long sigh before she slowly nodded. "Okay. Let's get this scene going again."

Together we walked back to the cameras to see that Adrien and Nino had stepped towards the firetruck where Adrien would be when he started this part again. They seemed deep in some sort of conversation, so I took the chance to take a sip of the hot chocolate I took with me out here to the scene. It was rather cold out today, especially since I was cooped up in the toasty bakery while I waited for Alya's call to tell me she was heading to the park.

A minute later I noticed Nino coming back over to where Alya and I were waiting near the camera. "Ready?"

I nodded and set my cup down near the camera. I took a few steps to where I'd start the seen then took a deep breath to clear my thoughts.

_It's the last scene. Just get through it. This is the last time I have to do this._

It was going well for almost a full minute until he took me by my hands and looked into my eyes with what looked like a very genuine smile. "You are the smartest and most beautiful woman I have ever met."

_This hurts…_

"And I love that you know the right shade of white, I love that you know how to install a stove and cook dinner, that you love animals, and I love that you know how to buy a Christmas tree."

He was smiling so brightly as if he really meant every word. But he didn't. He couldn't. This wasn't Adrien telling me what he loved about me, it was Adrien pretending to be Zachary telling Marilee all the things he loved about her.

_When did I start crying?_

"And I love that you believe in love, and…" He paused and took in a breath as if he were nervous to saw the next line. "Made me believe. And I know you want to finish school, and start your practice before you find love, but sometimes it finds you when you weren't even looking."

Adrien let go of my hands, still smiling as he slowly stepped backwards. "And I want to jump in front of you and stop you in your tracks." He turned away and started towards the fire engine while I was supposed to say another line, but I just watched him go and shook my head slowly.

"I can't do this." I said as a tear ran down my cheek. I made no effort to stop it or brush it away. Instead, I turned away from Adrien and started to quickly head to my house that was across the street from the park.


	49. Chapter 49

**A/N: Two minutes and five seconds left, one scene, and ONE CHAPTER LEFT!**

* * *

Chapter 49

**_~Adrien's POV~_**

"I can't do this." I heard her voice and stopped in my tracks as I turned around instantly. I saw the tear rolling down her cheek just before she turned away and started to walk away. Her steps were quick and instantly I took steps after her.

_I have to stop her. Just trying to tell her how I feel about her through these lines isn't enough!_

I had a feeling that she wouldn't just stop and give me a chance to talk to her by just calling her name, so my eyes searched everywhere as I tried to look for something I could use to start conversation with her. Then my eyes landed on something near Nino's camera.

I jogged over quickly, bent down, then stood again, holding her cup of hot chocolate that she was leaving behind. "Marinette, wait!" I called after her as my feet carried me over to her in a jog. My spirits lifted with hope when she slowed to a stop and turned around.

I slowed to a stop in front of her and our eyes met. She was looking at me questioningly and I felt even more hopeful that this was it. This was when I could finally tell her that I loved her and that I was really sorry for lying to her.

"You forgot to take your hot chocolate with you." I said awkwardly, and instantly mentally cursed myself for it.

Marinette's eyes briefly showed confusion, realization, and then hurt. "Thanks." She said dryly, took the cup from my hand, and turned and started jogging away from me. I opened my mouth to call out to her again, but any words I could have said caught in my throat. I watched her leave, feeling completely helpless.

"All you say is _you forgot your hot chocolate_?! Really?!" I didn't have to turn around to know that Alya was glaring daggers at me. I was busy watching Marinette disappear inside the bakery. "Adrien, that was your chance to talk to her!"

"I couldn't say anything…" I said dejectedly as I stared towards the bakery for a moment longer then slowly turned towards Alya. "I panicked."

"That's obvious." Alya said, rolling her eyes at me. "So apparently confessing your feelings through the lines didn't work and trying to talk about what happened obviously failed." She paused and let out a long sigh. "Plan B it is, then."

"And you're sure it will work?" I asked hopefully.

"If it doesn't work," Alya paused and shook her head. "Nothing will."

"It has to work." I said, desperation in my voice as I looked towards the bakery again. "I can't lose her. Not like this."

* * *

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"Marinette?" I heard my mother's gentle voice speak from behind the counter in the bakery. I looked up towards her and smiled sadly without saying a word. "Are you already, Sweetheart?"

I slowly shook my head. "Not really." I said, walking over to her. "But I'll be okay."

"Was it Adrien again?" She asked gently, her eyes showing her deep concern for me. I slowly nodded my answer. "Oh, I'm really sorry… Will you just talk to him and sort things out?"

I shook my head slowly again. "I'll talk with him again later after I'm over him. Then maybe we can go back to being friends."

"Marinette, Honey, I'm sorry to say this, but I don't think you and Adrien will ever be 'just' friends." My mother said with a small, sympathetic smile as she walked around the counter towards me. She stopped in front of me and leaned towards me, wrapping her arms around me in a comforting hug. "I'm really sorry… I know this is hard. But you are a strong young lady, and I know you'll get through this."

"Thanks, Mom…" I said back quietly as I hugged her back. I have always loved her warm, comforting hugs, and I knew I'd always need and rely on them when I was down.

We slowly pulled away from each other and she placed a loving kiss on my forehead. "Why don't you head upstairs and rest? I'm sure that scene you have to film can wait until tomorrow."

I nodded slightly and smiled at my mother, suddenly feeling all of my emotional exhaustion overwhelm me. "Okay…"

"Okay…" She repeated quietly and gave me another quick kiss on my forehead.

I slowly trudged up the stairs to our apartment and gave a long, sad look towards the Christmas tree in the living room. Memories filled my head as I remembered Adrien and I decorating the beautiful tree together.

_"You've seen me get angry with Chloe."_

_"Right, I do remember that." I said after a second of thinking, then laughed a little more. "The look on her face was priceless. You took everyone by surprise when you stood up to her like that."_

_"She was talking down to you." He said, lowering his arm from the branch he just hung an ornament and looked at me. "She was bringing you down and insulting you, and I couldn't let her do that."_

_I looked at him for a moment before shaking my head to dismiss my illusion of the absolute seriousness I thought I heard in his voice. "She's been doing that to everyone for years." I said. "Long before you started coming to school. We're all used to it."_

_"That's no excuse for her rude behavior." Adrien argued, and I was taken aback by the sudden change of his tone. There was no mistaking that serious tone now as he looked at me intently. "She shouldn't be talking to you like that, Marinette. You're an amazing girl, and you don't deserve being treated how she treats you. You deserve so much better."_

The memory caused me to smile to myself sadly. I remembered how happy it had made me to hear him say those words to me. It felt like such a long time ago now… and even longer ago the memories I had from us painting the walls together.

_"Our clothes." I said, looking at him. "We need to change first."_

_I was confused for a few seconds when Adrien turned to me with an amused grin but didn't say anything. "Oh!" I said suddenly. "Right! Umm, maybe my dad will have something you can wear?"_

_"I seriously doubt his clothes would fit me." Adrien said, still smiling in amusement as he crossed his arms._

_I let out a long breath of exasperation, trying to think of something that could be done to ensure he didn't get paint on his designer clothing. I was kind of annoyed that he offered no help to come up with a situation, but rather watched me try to work something out with that amused smirk of his._

**_He's lucky he's cute._**

That was before we changed. The imagery I now had from remembering that smirk of Adrien's sent a fresh wave of pain to my heart. He really was cute when he did that. I still thought it, and I was afraid I always would. I remembered that was also the time when I realized that he could annoy me, and I realized he really wasn't as perfect as everyone assumed he was. I had loved him so much more after that, but now it only hurt more to remember.

_"Hmm… I think you missed a spot."_

_"What?" I asked, my smile vanishing as my eyes scanned the wall. "Really? Where?"_

_"May I?" He asked, holding out a hand for the brush I held. I gave him the brush without looking, still looking for the spot I missed._

_"Marinette." He said my name, causing me to turn to look at him and looked at him curiously, expecting he was going to point the spot out to me. Instead, the moment I turned towards him, he moved the brush towards my face and painted a vertical line on my nose._

_My expression immediately changed to surprise and amusement. "Adrien!" I scolded, causing him to laugh while quickly backing away from me._

I was suddenly aware of tears leaking out of my eyes and silently running down my cheeks. I missed him so much and I knew our relationship could never be the same again. I was barely conscious of my actions as my feet led me up the stairs to my room.

All of it… Everything he said to me was just for the movie. The way it felt when he touched my hands, his smile when he told me he thought I was smart and beautiful, and all those times saying that he loved something else about me… but it wasn't really me. It was Marilee. And those weren't really his words. They were Zachary's.

My phone started ringing and I saw Adrien's name appear on the screen for what had to be the fifth or sixth time since I left. I sniffed and declined the call. I couldn't put on this act anymore. I was going to get over him. It would take time, I knew it would, but I had to do it.

I didn't want to feel hurt over this anymore. I wanted Adrien and I to be able to be friends since it was obvious we wouldn't be anything more. But to save our friendship, I need to get over him.

My phone went off from a notification. Another voicemail left by Adrien. I shook my head to myself and sighed. "I can't…" I muttered to myself.

My phone started to ring suddenly, and I groaned again, instantly assuming it was Adrien calling again. It wasn't that I was mad he was calling me, or that I didn't actually want to talk to him. I did want to talk to him really badly, but I couldn't bring myself to. I hated having to decline his calls.

But when I picked up my phone I was surprised to see Alya's name and contact photo instead of Adrien's.

"Hi, Alya." I answered quietly.

"Oh, so you answer me, do you?" She asked immediately. "Haven't you been getting any of Adrien's calls?"

"Yes." I answered shortly and I heard Alya sighing heavily on her end.

"Will you please answer him?"

"No." I said firmly. "No. Why should I?"

"He really wants to talk to you." Alya answered and I could hear the desperation in her voice. But I'd already made up my mind.

"Well, I don't want to talk to him." I retorted stubbornly. "He can keep leaving me all the messages he wants. I'll listen to them later when I'm over him."

"Marinette…" Alya whined, but I knew that she knew that she couldn't change my mind. "You know what? Fine. You don't have to talk to him. But will you do something for me?"

"What is it?" I asked with a sigh.

"No questions." Alya added quickly.

I hesitated before rolling my eyes and sighing heavily. "Fine."

"Go to the Eiffel Tower." She told me. "Go up the elevator to the highest platform."

"Why?" I immediately asked curiously.

"No questions!" She reminded me. "Just go! Please?"

I hesitated again for a long moment before sighing again in defeat. "Fine, I'll go. I'll go up there."

"Great!" Alya said happily. "See you there!"

"Okay…" I answered and heard a click that signaled the end of the call. I felt curious because of Alya's instruction but was still very reluctant to get up from where I had been lounging on my chaise. I knew that if I didn't go soon, Alya would just call me again, and again until I finally gave in.

So, I left my house and went to the Eiffel Tower like Alya told me too. I took the elevator to the third platform. I had no idea what to expect. It really didn't make any sense why I had to come up here.

_What exactly am I here for…?_

When the elevator opened, I instantly realized that there was nothing at all that could have prepared me for this. And I suddenly understood why Alya had been so secretive about coming up here.

"Adrien…?"


	50. Chapter 50 & Epilogue

**A/N: ****I've finally got it written out, so hear it is! Enjoy this ending!**

* * *

Chapter 50

**_~Marinette's POV~_**

"Adrien…?" I spoke his name quietly, completely taken by surprise, though I still stepped out of the elevator and took a few steps towards him. "What—What are you doing here?"

"I had to speak with you." He answered in a quiet voice of his own. It was so filled with hope and nervousness, I didn't know what to say in response to him. Or to the bouquet of red roses he held in one hand or the small, white and pink box in his other.

I couldn't speak as I watched him slowly walk towards me. Tears weld in my eyes, and part of me wanted to run. But a stronger part of me willed me to stay.

"I've missed you, Marinette." He started with a small, sad smile when he was only a few feet in front of me and took no more steps to get closer to me. "I've really, really missed you. And I've deserved this from you because I said the worst thing to you… I'm sorry I lied."

"You—When did you lie…?" I stammered, suddenly feeling rather nervous, and yet also excited, to hear what he had to say to me. He was standing much closer than he had been in the last few days, and it made me feel so guilty because it was _me_ who was pushing _him_ away.

I noticed him shifting on his feet in nervousness and a small part of me was able to find it cute despite my own nervousness that was overwhelming me. "I lied when I said that—These are for you! —when I said that kiss didn't mean anything to me."

In the middle of his explanation, he thrust the bouquet of roses forward as if he were worried that his words wouldn't be enough. As I took the roses in my arms, I looked at him, suddenly in shock when he finished speaking. "That—That was your lie…?"

I watched him as he looked down and nodded, the hand that had been holding the roses moving so he was now holding the box in both hands, his eyes trained on it. "Marinette, when I kissed you at the end of that scene with the mistletoe, I really wasn't just doing it because I thought it would give the scene a better ending… I wanted—I _really_ wanted to kiss you…"

My face heated up uncontrollably, even more so as I saw that he was blushing too. "So… that kiss did mean something to you…?"

Adrien nodded and slowly looked up at me from the small box. "Yes… Marinette, that kiss meant a lot more to me than I led you to believe… And I'm really sorry I lied to you."

"Why did you lie about it in the first place?" I asked quietly. It was the biggest question I had asked myself over and over again when considering that he may have lied to me about whether or not the kiss meant anything.

"Because…" He trailed off and chuckled nervously, though it sounded very forced as if it was covering his awkwardness. "Because I was worried that you wouldn't be happy knowing that I liked you."

"You like me?!" I asked instantly, and though I had before thought of it as a completely logical reason for why he might kiss me, hearing him now say that him liking me was really the reason made me wonder if this was just a dream.

"Well, yeah I—" Adrien said with a smile that mostly showed his nervousness. "No, not exactly."

My heart fell again, and my response was a mixture of hurt and confusion. "What…?"

Adrien just let out a slight breath of amusement. "So… I'm guessing that means you haven't listened to the voicemails I've been leaving you?"

"Actually…" I started, my fingers nervously poking each other as I looked down, eyes fixing on Adrien's feet. "I—no I didn't."

"I had a feeling that was the case." He said, and I was surprised by the gentleness of his tone. It was almost as if he hadn't realized I'd been completely ignoring him and avoiding him for the past few days. "Will you… Listen to them now?"

"Now?" I asked, confused as I took out my phone and started to tap the screen to take me to my voicemail. Why couldn't he just tell me himself?

I held the phone up to my ear as the first message of seven started playing, and I almost immediately knew why he wanted me to listen to them. I could hear the desperation in his voice as made it clear that he really wanted to talk to me. And each message I listened to only made me feel worse.

_"Hey, Marinette. This is Adrien, but I'm sure your phone told you that." A slight pause. "Look, we need to talk. I made a huge mistake and I'm really, really sorry." Another, slightly longer, pause. "I really miss you. Please call me back, okay? I love you."_

I instantly looked at him in surprise, but he wasn't looking in my direction. He was looking down at the ground just ahead of him to avoid looking at me and, though my heart was already racing from the message, I noticed he was also blushing. Instead of saying anything to him, I listened as the next one started.

_"Hey, Marinette. It's Adrien… again. Look, I know that it's only been about an hour since I last called, but I really just wanted to tell you that I thought you looked really pretty today… and I miss you a lot. Please call or text me back."_

_"Marinette! Hi! It's Adrien. It's later now, and I'm sorry for calling you again, but I just wanted to wish you a good night and… since I've already said it before and there's no taking it back… I love you. So, uh… good night, Marinette._

_"It's your voicemail again, so I'm guessing you really, really don't want to talk to me, which is fair. I just wanted to say good morning and I'm excited to see you today at school. I really hope you have a good day today. I love you."_

_"I'm sorry… I know you're angry with me and I should probably really stop calling you. And I bet you're getting annoyed with me saying that I love you, and you probably don't believe me either. I'm really, really sorry. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you, please tell me what to do. I miss you."_

By the time the messages from under an hour ago started playing, I was having a hard time containing my tears. A hand was over my mouth as I stared at Adrien, but he didn't meet my eyes. Instead he stared at the small box in his hands and shifted his feet very nervously.

_"Marinette, please come back! I'm sorry that I lied to you! I love you a lot and I really, really miss you!"_

_"This has gone on long enough, Marinette. Please, please talk to me! I'm dying without you! I know it might be too late to be anything more than friends, but I don't know what I'd do if I lost your friendship. I love you, Marinette, and you're so much more than just a crush. You're my best friend, and I can't lose you. Please just answer me so we can talk."_

_"Okay… You sent me straight to voicemail, so I know you're still mad. So, I'll just say something really quick. Meet me at on the third platform of the Eiffel Tower. I'll be there, and I promise I'll make this whole mess up to you. I'll tell you I lied, that I miss you, and that I love you. Just please, Marinette, come to the Eiffel Tower. Even if all we are now is friends, I'd rather just be friends than lose you forever."_

"Adrien…" I started, my voice shaking from emotion after I realized there were no more messages to listen to from him. My mind was swirling with thoughts and it felt hard to breath. I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. "Adrien, I—"

"Please…" Adrien said quickly to cut me off, though he trailed off as he took a small step towards me, meeting me eyes. "Marinette, I am so sorry for telling you that the kiss meant nothing to me just because I thought it might save our friendship because really all it did was push you away. I've realized that I need you in my life. You make me so happy and thinking this lie could've made you disappear made me so miserable and I knew it was my fault."

He paused as he took another small step forward to stand in front of me and he cautiously took my right hand in his left, holding the box in his right hand as I held the roses in my left hand. Then he continued speaking. "I've missed you so much, Marinette… and while I know it's probably too late to fix things between us, I hope we can at least still be friends. I love you so much that I can't bear to not at least be friends with you."

My heart thumped in my chest loudly and quickly as I looked at him in shock despite hearing him repeat those same three words from the voice messages. I almost didn't believe that he really said them. "Can you repeat that..?" I asked quietly, my voice shaking.

"I can't bear to not at least be friends with you?" He questioned looking confused. I couldn't help but crack a small smile of amusement, the first smile I'd given him in days, and shook my head at him.

"Just before that…"

"I love you..?" He questioned, a small smile of hope starting to grow on his face.

"Again…" I quietly begged as my smile grew a little more as well.

"I love you…" He responded quietly, his voice surer and his smile a little bigger.

Very slowly, as if I weren't quite sure if it would be okay with him, I took a small step closer to him. When he made no sign of moving away, I suddenly leapt towards him, throwing my arms around his neck to hug him tightly while standing on my toes, the roses gripped tightly in my left hand as my right gripped the fabric of his shirt as if I were afraid he'd disappear if I didn't hold on tight. Relief washed over me in a huge wave as I felt his arms embrace my midsection.

"I love you too..." I breathed as I finally let my tears of happiness escape my eyes and roll down my cheeks. I felt his arms tighten around me slightly in response, and I could tell that he was very relieved as well when he let out a shaky sigh of relief.

Neither of us moved for a long time as we just held each other, each perfectly content with our hug. Though, slowly I stood flat on my feet again another moment longer and I noticed the tears that were leaving his eyes. I could tell that they were due to a mixture of relief, fear, happiness, and distress, and my heart broke as I realized for the first time just how much I hurt him.

"Adrien…" I started, bringing my hands up to very carefully hold his cheeks and wipe his tears away with my thumbs. "Adrien, I'm so sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault, Marinette… It was mine." He told me, but I shook my head at him.

"No, I shouldn't have ignored you like I did." I told him, and though his hands gently gripped on my wrists while my hands were still on his cheeks, I didn't break eye contact. "I never should have reacted and treated you so badly… I'm so sorry…"

"Why don't we just forget about this mess we made for ourselves and move forward?" He suggested quietly and I nodded in agreement. He let out another breath of relief and I was suddenly aware that he was blushing. But I couldn't judge him for it since I was blushing too.

Looking down due to my sudden nervousness again, I noticed that box in his hand once more and pointed at it curiously. "What's that?"

"Oh." He responded quickly, holding the box with nervous hands. "This. It was supposed to be an apology gift in case you needed more than just words to get through to you, but… I still want you to have it. I got it specifically for you."

He held the box towards me, and I looked up at him questioningly. What could it be? I hope it wasn't something expensive… I slowly took the small box from him and it was the first time I could expect it. It was a square shaped box that was covered in a soft white fabric, both the box and its cover separately, and wrapped neatly with a pink ribbon.

"Adrien, you didn't have to get this for me." I said, feeling myself blush more at a seemingly unnecessary gift.

"I really think you'll like it, Marinette." He told me with a smile, though he still nervously tucked his hands away into the front pockets of his jeans. "No returns. Just think of it as an early Christmas present."

I still hesitated, feeling nervous about what was inside, but I gave into my curiosity. I pulled slowly on the pink ribbon to untie the bow, then took off the lid and looked inside. Instantly my eyes widened, and I let out a gasp before quickly covering it in surprise.

"You didn't!" I exclaimed to him in surprise as I looked up at him.

"I did." He replied with a smile. It was obvious I loved the gift, and that he was relieved.

"You got me a hamster?!" I exclaimed again as I lifted the lid again and stared down at the little creature in the box. It had red-brown fur with a white chest and paws. It also had dark markings on its head, ears, and sides of its neck.

"I got you a hamster." He repeated with a happy tone, and I knew I didn't have to look up at him to know that he was grinning. I looked up at him again and matched his grin before glancing down as I covered the hamster again so I could give Adrien another hug.

"I've always wanted a hamster!" I exclaimed excitedly. "This is amazing! You're amazing! I can't believe you got me a hamster! She's so cute! I think I'm going to name her—"

I cut myself off as I heard someone clearing their throat and turned to my right to see Alya standing there watching us with an amused smirk. She must have come up the elevator while Adrien and I were talking, and I didn't notice her.

"Alya, he got me a hamster." I said, keeping my voice calm though I was still really excited.

"I know." She answered with an amused tone. "I helped him get it. I also gave the cage to your parents when you left your room. I believe they're setting it up for you so it's ready for your new little friend when you get back home."

I smiled at Alya thankfully but didn't say a word. Though she returned the smile and gave me a small nod, showing that no words needed to be said. I turned back to Adrien again and suddenly felt shy and nervous all over again.

"So…" He started, and I knew that he was feeling nervous as well.

"So…" I repeated with an awkward nervous giggle. I blushed as I felt him take hold of my free hand and step closer to me.

"I know you didn't know it at the time, but I kissed you at the end of that scene because I really liked you." He said and I instantly felt my blush darken. "So… I think that maybe I should make that kiss up to you."

"Heh, maybe you should." I said with an awkward smile and watched as he moved a little closer to me, though I didn't break eye contact with him.

I could tell he was hesitant as he slowly leaned in a little closer and I couldn't stop myself from holding my breath in anticipation. "Can I kiss you…?" He asked quietly. I nodded slightly, unable to speak as I could feel his breath against my lips when he spoke. Then our lips met, and my eyes shut.

They only brushed at first, but then we became surer of ourselves. It stayed gentle and light, but it was more than enough to make me feel like I was swept off of my feet. After a couple seconds I blinked open my eyes as our lips parted and he moved away from me. The two of us were a blushing, smiling mess.

His hand was still on my cheek where it had moved as we shared our kiss, and he smiled at me. My heart leapt as I could see just how happy he was, and I knew I looked just as happy as he did. Slowly, he moved his hand off of my cheek and let go of my hand then hugged me, his arms wrapping around my back as they had before.

My arms instinctively wrapped around his waist and I laid my head on his chest, listening to the calming beating of his heart. We didn't say anything for a moment, just enjoying each other in this hug. It was obvious neither of us wanted it to end.

"Did you like the gift?" He asked quietly after a long moment of silence passed, and I nodded slowly, the side of my head brushing against his shirt.

"It's perfect…" I sighed quietly. Both of us knew that this hug wouldn't end anytime soon. "This is perfect…"

* * *

Epilogue

**_~Alya's POV~_**

I watched as Adrien and Marinette, or should I say, Zachary and Marilee, walked up to each other. Both were smiling, although Marinette tried to hide it for the sake of the last scene of the movie. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Ambrose." Adrien answered with a smile. "He reminded me that you volunteer here for Christmas."

"He did?" Marinette asked with a confused expression, smile fading. "I don't—I don't understand why you're here? I thought you'd be with your new girlfriend."

Adrien's smile faltered as he became confused. "Wait, what new girlfriend?"

"The one I saw you with at the mayor's Christmas party." She answered, sliding her hands into her front pockets.

"Oh, you were at that party?" He asked.

"Yeah." She answered. "That's the party I invited you to, but you had to work. And then you were there with the woman in the red dress." She finished her line, looking down and to the side.

Adrien let out a breath that was a mix of relief and amusement. "I was there to promote the firefighter's calendar. It's something we do every Christmas to raise money for the children's hospital. And that woman… was the mayor's wife."

Marinette instantly let out a heavy breath of relief as she looked at Adrien. It was obvious she was feeling embarrassed for assuming things as she looked off to the side, but Adrien quickly brought her attention back to him as he reached out and took hold of both of her hands.

"Marilee White, you are the smartest and most beautiful woman I have ever met." He started, giving her a very genuine smile that said that the words he was saying to Marinette were more than just a line.

"And I love that you know the right shade of white, I love that you know how to install a stove and cook dinner, that you love animals, and I love that you know how to buy a Christmas tree."

He was smiling so brightly as if he really meant every word.

"And I love that you believe in love, and…" He paused and took in a breath as if he were nervous to say the next line. "Made me believe. And I know you want to finish school, and start your practice before you find love, but sometimes it finds you when you weren't even looking."

Adrien let go of Marinette's hands, still smiling as he slowly stepped backwards. "And I want to jump in front of you and stop you in your tracks."

He turned away and started towards the fire engine while Marinette tilted her head at him and smiled as tears of happiness were building up in her eyes. "Mountain lions…" She said to herself then let out a slight laugh to hold back the tears then walked after him to the back of the engine.

Ambrose was seen coming down from the firetruck, rubbing his side against the metal step as he did so and meowed. Then Queenie was seen coming out of her cat carrier and head over from under the pavilion, also meowing. Adrien started to climb up onto the back of the fire engine but turned to Marinette just before climbing over the top.

"I'm climbing up to the highest peak I can find!" He called down to her. "If you join me, I know we'll be together forever."

_That's why Adrien chose to meet Marinette on the highest platform of the Eiffel Tower._

Marinette let out a slight chuckle, smiling warmly at him as he finished climbing up onto the back of the engine then followed him up. He offered his hand to her at the last step, helped her up, then pulled her closer to him so they were standing right in front of each other.

"I love you." Adrien told her, and again it was obvious he said it for more than just the line as he smiled brightly.

Marinette was smiling back happily as she glanced down at his lips. "And I love you."

Adrien seemed to be smiling just a little more as he leaned in and kissed her, moving his hands to her waist, and immediately Marinette returned the kiss, moving her hands up to his cheeks. They each broke apart after a second and smiled at each other and he moved his hand further around her back while she moved her arms around his neck.

They kissed again for another few seconds, during which Adrien moved his right hand from Marinette's waist to a side bar on the truck to steady himself while his left arm wrapped around her upper back, and Marinette's hands moved to the back of his neck.

Both smiled at each other happily when they pulled away, though their foreheads still touched while Marinette's hands moved from his neck to his chest and his arm around her back moved so his hand was on her waist again. Then the two cats were shown laying side by side, sitting on the dashboard of the fire engine next to the windshield.

The entire class broke into applause as the scene cut to the credits. Even Chloe was reluctantly clapping. All except Adrien and Marinette who only seemed to have eyes for each other as they sat side by side in the front row where Adrien normally sat. Nino had moved back to sit in Marinette's old seat after she switched with Nino.

I put both elbows on my desk and propped my head on my fists as I looked down at the new couple. They were sitting close to each other, their connected hands between them and their fingers interlaced. Marinette had her head on Adrien's shoulder as he looked down at her. Although I couldn't see their expressions from behind, I knew that they were incredibly happy.

_I told you my plan would work this time, Marinette. I'm glad to see you've finally got your man._

* * *

**A/N: It's officially over! I loved this story SO MUCH! Although the story is over, I might just include a few bonus chapters, so stay on the look out for those! Otherwise, if you liked this fanfiction, be sure to follow/subscribe to me so you can read more of my future work!**


End file.
